An email arrived recently with a couple of photos of a rope drum and a simple request: "Is it possible to tell from the photo who might have made this drum and roughly when it might have been made?"

The photos (see our group's photo collection, album titled "1825-1865 Bunker Hill Drum") were interesting.  One showed a beautiful apparently old rope drum with a beautiful painted design reading "BUNKER HILL" and "1776".

The other photo showed a label (possibly from a commemorative envelope) with a red, white and blue American Flag (36 stars, approximately) and the words, "A double immortality for April 19th LEXINGTON and BALTIMORE".

Here follows the thread of emails exchanged on this drum.

Please feel free to add any information you believe useful.

Best.

Ellis Mirsky

Moderator

Yahoo RopeDrums Group 

--------------

EMAIL NO. 1

EMAIL NO. 2

EMAIL NO. 3

On 2/8/08 5:28 PM, Ellis Mirsky wrote:

John,
 

     More as to the label – the link between Lexington and Baltimore as to April 19 is that early fighting began in those places in the War for Independence (Lexington) and in the War Between the States (Baltimore):

     April 19, 1775: On April 19, 1775, British and American soldiers exchanged fire in the Massachusetts towns of Lexington and Concord. On the night of April 18, the royal governor of Massachusetts, General Thomas Gage, commanded by King George III to suppress the rebellious Americans, had ordered 700 British soldiers, under Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith and Marine Major John Pitcairn, to seize the colonists' military stores in Concord, some 20 miles west of Boston.

     April 19, 1861: A clash between pro-South civilians and Union troops in Maryland's largest city resulted in what is commonly accepted to be the first bloodshed of the Civil War. Secessionist sympathy was strong in Baltimore, a border state metropolis.
 

     Hence the words "A double immortality for April 19th LEXINGTON and BALTIMORE" on the label.
     

     So, the label was printed after 4/19/1861.  The Bunker Hill drum could be from earlier times, but the label is from 1861.
 
     My earlier email re the number of stars (looks like 36) could pin down the label, at least, to the period 10/31/1864 to 3/1/1867.
 
     Interestingly, on May 13, 1861 Federal Troops (including the 6th Regiment, Massachusetts Militia, that was attacked April 19th, 1861 by a mob in Baltimore as they travelled to Washington DC to protect the city) occupied Baltimore and martial law was declared, squelching most subsequent pro-Confederate activities. Federal forces continued to maintain an occupying presence in Baltimore for the remainder of the war.
 
     So, there is a definite connection between Massachusetts (not just Lexington) and Baltimore. Note that during the April, 1861 riots, the 6th Regiment's band was unable to get out of Baltimore so replacement band instruments could have been needed for the May occupation of Baltimore.
 
     A guess: I wonder whether the Bunker Hill Drum came down from Massachusetts with the 6th Regiment for the May, 1861 occupation force in Baltimore. The pro-Union label is consistent with such a hypothesis.   Certainly makes things interesting.  That would mean that the drum might also have been beaten in Baltimore. And, I could imagine such a drum being used in Baltimore to stick it to the rebels there and remind people of the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Revolution in order to reinforce the notion that these boys from Massachusetts won't cut and run, but that they are there for the duration.  And they were.

     Would very much like an opportunity to see the drum.

EMAIL NO. 4

From: Ellis Mirsky
Sent: Friday, February 08, 2008 11:31 AM
To: 'John Shaw'
Subject: Further to A Question on a Rope Tension Drum

John,

***

     I'm not sure we can make much of the label in the Bunker Hill drum, but I'll try.  The flag in the label looks like it shows 6 rows of 6 stars or 36 stars altogether (if I am not mistaken).  The U.S. flag sported 36 stars from 10/31/1864 to 3/1/1867 although the layout was not a rectangular array – it was rows of 8,6,8,6 and 8 stars.  The flag on the label could have been intended to show 36 stars and artistic license taken as to the array arrangement.

     Also, *** I looked for a snare mechanism that looks like the one on the Bunker Hill drum.  I have a drum by John Lowell ca. 1850 inscribed on a paper label:

John Lowell

Manufacturer and

Dealer in all kinds of

Musical Instruments

No. 4 Maine St.

Bangor

Compare similar handwriting on the label in the Bunker Hill drum.

     But, more interesting is the snare mechanism which looks pretty similar on both drums.

     Also the lapped and tacked upper counter hoop with drilled holes (8 on the John Lowell drum, 10 on the Bunker Hill drum) are very similar.

     An in-person look would be terrific.  I get to Boston every once in a while so I could arrange to see it during a trip in the future.

     Bottom line: There are striking similarities between the Bunker Hill drum and one by John Lowell, ca. 1850 (also in our photo collection).

EMAIL NO. 5

Ellis:

***
     Your narrative of the Mass 6th Regiment engaged in Baltimore in 1861 is quite intriguing, and inspired me to search for other information on that regiment. I've only started (now that I have some breathing time), but did locate an interesting article on that regiment at "The Continental Line" web site ( http://www.continentalline.org/articles/article.php?date=9901&article=990102). According to that article, "The core of the officer corps had begun service with the Lexington Alarm in April of 1775." with the officer core officially coming into existence in November 1776.

     Another site () goes on to say:

"SIXTH REGIMENT -- COL. PARSONS' -- 1775 [Raised on the first call for troops in April-May, 1775. Recruited from New London, Hartford, and present Middlesex Counties. Two companies, including Capt. Coit's, marched at once to Boston, and Capt. Mott's was ordered to the Northern Dept. The other companies remained on duty at New London until June 17, when they were ordered by the Governor's Council to the Boston camps. There the regiment took post at Roxbury in Gen. Spencer's Brigade, and remained until the expiration of term of service, Dec. 10 75. Adopted as Continental. Regiment re-organized under Col. Parsons for service in 76"

     A conjecture: could this drum have been with the original Massachusetts Old Sixth, with "Bunker Hill" possibly signifying an early battle (perhaps its first), and "1776" signifying when the regiment was officially formed up?

     More to research here!!

     ***

     All the best.

     John

     I think this was a steal.  The drum looks original in every respect -- certainly the shell, counterhoops and snare strainer look like early CW vintage.  Better photos or a live inspection may provide confirmation.

     Bidding on the drum was active (28 bids from 8 bidders) with 3 different snipes in the last 90 seconds of the auction taking the price up more than $200 from $576 to the winning bid just shy of $800.  The pros were out for this one.

     Why the interest in this drum?  Let's start with the brass (hopefully brass and not plastic) numeral "5" on the shell in what appears to be a painted gold 5-pointed star.  My guess is that's a regiment number, as in 5th Regiment.  Or, heaven forbid, a brass numeral from an apartment house or mail box purchased last week at Home Depot and added for effect.  Yikes, wouldn't that be a travesty?

• 10 drilled holes in each counterhoop (needed for the large diameter of almost 18 inches) put the drum as pre-hook.
• A mid-19th century early CW snare strainer helps narrow the age guess to around 1850.
• And, the pinked leather pulls with debossed stars (embossed would be raised as in engraved stationery; debossed would be depressed as in the case of these leathers).  Note, I have leathers from 1850.  They are so brittle that they fall apart to dust with the slightest pull, so I'm a bit skeptical about these leathers as they look pretty supple.

     But, as always, a hands-on inspection could really tell the tale.  Stay tuned.

     The drum is described on eBay by the seller as follows:

This is a very nice original Civil War drum with original paint, skins, hoops, and leather tabs.  Each leather tab has a pinked edge with two stars embossed on the leather.  The leather tabs all match, except for one older replacement, which looks as old as the rest. The skins are intact with nice age and wear.  There is one 2-inch spot on one of the skins where there is a slight tear with some glue, but visually the skin appears intact and does not detract from the overall appearance.  The ropes have age and appear to be original.  There is a gold star painted on the side with a brass number 5 centered in the star.  I am not sure what the star and number 5 represent.  The paint is reddish-orange in color.  Visible through the peek hole, there is an old label that reads C. C. Clapp & Son, Boston.  C.C. Clapp & Son, Boston, was a manufacturer of musical instruments for the Civil War.  The drum measures 17 3/4 inches diameter x 14 1/2 inches tall.  This is a wonderful original Civil War drum that would make a nice addition to any early Civil War military collection or Civil War musical instrument collection.

     Photos appear in our group's photo album named, "1861-65 C.C. Clapp & Sons, Boston".

     Comments welcome.

     I was delighted to see a beautiful 1862 presentation drum by Wm. S. Tompkins fetch $3,000.00 at auction recently on eBay (#150213786096).  In addition to the drum, the buyer (one of group members) will also receive a copy of the National Archives' military and pension records for J.W. Kemp, the person to whom the drum was presented.  Nice deal.

     And, interest at that price level was not limited to the buyer.  Two other bidders bid in excess of $2,500.  Due to eBay's ridiculous practice of masking bidders' names on some of our drum auctions, it is difficult to identify the other bidders. 

     The drum was described as follows:

AUTHENTIC CIVIL WAR SNARE DRUM 14th INDIANA REGIMENT

Authentic Civil War Snare Drum. This drum has a silver-plated presentation shield attached that reads "Presented to J.W. Kemp Principal Musician by the Staff & Commissioned Officers of the 14th Regiment Indiana Volunteers As a mark of their respected esteem February 1862"

The inside contains a paper tag that reads "INDIANA PIANO FORTE Ware Room and Music Store, Willard & Stowell, NO 4 Bates House Indianapolis, IND."

There is additional small type advertising on the tag that is difficult to read. I believe the manufacturer is Wm. S. Thompkins & Sons of Yonkers N.Y., based on almost identical inlaid design seen in "A Pictorial History of Civil War Era Musical Instruments & Military Bands" by Robert Garofalo & Mark Elrod, on page 43 and another example from the National Music Museum as seen at www.usd.edu/smm/ThopkinsDrum.html.

I have conversed with another owner of a similar Thompkins drum [Ellis Mirsky] that has the same red, white and blue rims [See our group's icon photo]. The ropes, leather pulls and calfskin heads have been replaced approximately 25 years ago. Catgut snares and attached leather stops are probably replacements.

The shell is slightly depressed just above the presentation shield and has a smudge and a few light scratches. Just to the left of the center inlaid work is a small ding that broke through the outer shell layer but it doesn't go all the way through. Otherwise the shell is in excellent condition with slight wear. The joint seam is tight and straight. Overall height is 15" and overall diameter is 18".

The gentleman I bought it from was an 80 year old former re-enactor that purchased the drum from a fellow re-enactor at Billie Creek Indiana in about 1975.

The Billie Creek gentleman said when he was a very small child, he played with the drum as his father plowed the field for an old lady who was J. W. Kemp's daughter-in-law. The old lady gave it to the little boy as payment for the father's work. The locale and chronology makes since.

I have obtained the full Military and pension records for J.W. Kemp from the National Archives. The full copies are included in the sale.

     Photos will be posted in our album section under the title, "1862 Wm. S. Tompkins Presentation Drum".

     Congratulations buyer.

See http://cgi.liveauctions.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?
ViewItem&ih=014&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%
3AIT&viewitem=&item=330180948259&rd=1#la-image-1

	 Sold at auction at Jackson's Auctions for $1,000 – a steal
despite the new hoops, head, rope and leather.  Sold to a live floor
bidder.  Opened at $2,000 and dropped!

	 Described as follows: 1585: A CIVIL WAR REGIMENTAL TENOR
DRUM circa 1862. Pai[nted]

A CIVIL WAR REGIMENTAL TENOR DRUM circa 1862. Painted eagle
decoration probably by Horstmann Brothers and Company, Philadelphia.
Period decorated shell with replaced bands, heads and rope. Affixed
affidavit, dated 1916 and is accompanied by a 1926 newspaper article
relating to same on interior attesting that this drum was salvaged
after the Battle of Antietam. Height 16 inches, diameter 17.25
inches. Restoration. Estimate $2,000-$3,000.

Before anyone spends a fortune on these, you might want to know that
they might not be from the CW. Although they are impossible to date for
sure, the taper does not seem long enough to be from that period. Nice
sticks though...

I just want to inform the group that I have a low bid in on the Drum.
I have quite a collection of these little guys mostly rope rather than
hook.  If anyone wishes to go for it please do.

Bob Benton

Jack Lawton joined us this morning and he is a tremendous addition
to our slowly growing network of folks interested in rope drums.

But Jack brings a lot more to the table.  He's an expert drum
mechanic (I have an 1863 ca. John C. Haynes (Boston), on which Jack
did some conservation work), as well as a drummer.

Jack owns Lawton Drum Company of Sunbury, Pennsylvania, doing
quality full time vintage drum restoration for museums, collectors,
dealers, other drum companies and players from around the world.
See http://www.lawtondrum.com/.

It is a great pleasure to welcome Jack to our group.

Please also take a moment to add photos (the smaller the KB size,
the better) to our photo album.  We are now showing photos of more
than 60 drums.

Best regards to all.

Ellis Mirsky
RopeDrums Groupo Moderator

----------------

         Dan Woolpert emailed mentioning that he has had an instrument
display together for the past few weeks and had some visitors in.  It
will be back up after the early July performances.  He is currently
working on a display of 20 fifes.  Eighteen have been donated by Fred
Benkovic.  Several have documented history.

----------------

	 I had a wonderful time yesterday with Jayson Dobney, now
associate curator of musical instruments at the Metropolitan Museum
of Art in New York City, formerly curator of percussion at the
National Music Museum in Vermillion, South Dakota.  Jayson has seen
many excellent examples of Civil War and other period drums and is a
valuable resource of knowledge and information.

	 After inspecting a number of my drums displayed (which
include an 1850 John Lowell -- Maine; a pre-1900 Eisele -- NYC; and a
number of other 19th century charmers; plus an 1862 Wm. S. Tompkins --
  Yonkers, all of which are pictured in our RopeDrums yahoo group
photo album), we retired to my office building's basement where I
have a "vault" filling with boxes of "projects".  I had forgotten
that one of the drums stored there is a ca. 1860 restored Wm. Paine
(Portland, Maine) which I brought out for display.

	 Another find was an old brown 2-ply drum which Jayson
casually inspected and found some handwriting on the inside of the
shell: "Werner Soistmann Proffesional Drum Maker" [misspelled] and
then more information about repairs and trimmings and what appears to
be an address in Philadelphia.  I'll post a photo so I can get some
help from our RopeDrums yahoo group in reading the handwriting.  That
made our day, for sure.

	 Also interesting was a wood drum with a dark blue panel and a
nice, but not regulation, Eagle with banner titled "Williamsport
Rifles".  This really tweaked Jayson's interest.  Research tells us
much about the Williamsport Rifles, but not much about the drum.  I
suspect that the drum may be late 19th century, not CW, perhaps from
a veterans band, and perhaps related to the famous Repasz Band of
Williamsport, Pennsylvania.  I think that the Rifles and the Band
were closely linked.

	 Best regards.

	 Ellis Mirsky

I am posting the following information concerning fair use of
copyrighted materials.  Our yahoo group is educational in nature with
no commercial aspect.

Materials concerning fair use of copyrighted materials can be found at:

http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html
http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ21.pdf

"...[T]he fair use of a copyrighted work ... for purposes such as
criticsm, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies
for classroom use), scholarship or research, is not an infringement of
copyright."

See Circular 21 (http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ21.pdf) for a
detailed discussion.

Best.

Ellis

Will,

Would George be willing to post some photos of his Louis Soistman drum
in our RopeDrums yahoo group photo section?

Best.

Ellis Mirsky


--- In RopeDrums@yahoogroups.com, "Will" <whchappelle@...> wrote:
>
> George Carroll also owns a Louis Soistman drum that I saw today.
>

George Carroll also owns a Louis Soistman drum that I saw today.

C. & F. Soistmann was the company that made drums for the Union Army
during the War Between the States. "Buck" Soistman was a great-nephew
of the Civil War era Soistmann and made drums during the 20th century.
I am guessing that W. Soistmann was another family member who made
drums sometime after the C. & F. Soistmann company.

I have done some research re W. (Werner) Soistmann.  Fred Soistmann
reports that Werner, son of Louis, arrived in New York (from Germany)
in 1865.  See
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/s/o/i/FRED-S-SOISTMANN/index.html.

Assuming that is accurate, Werner would not appear to have been
manufacturing drums in Philadelphia during the Civil War.

If Werner made drums, it appears more likely that he would have made
them later in time.

Also, the stenciled counterhoops may assist in placing the drum in
time.  I have some drums with such stencils and I believe that they
are from approximately 1900.  The inlay star pattern, also, is
familiar.

I have asked members of the RopeDrums yahoo group to comment.
Perhaps we can assist in placing the drum correctly in time and thus
assist in establishing a fair market value.  I do not believe that
the drum is a Philadelphia Civil War era Soistmann drum, however.

Best regards.

Ellis Mirsky


--- In RopeDrums@yahoogroups.com, "Ellis R. Mirsky" <emirsky@...>
wrote:
>
> Question to RopeDrums Group Members: Based on the photos posted to
our group's website, does this drum look right to you?  I think it's
okay but I'd like your input.
>
> E.g., aside from the fact that the counterhoop on top has a snare
bed,
> it's stenciled.  Does anyone know when stenciling on counterhoops
began?
>
> Also, does the inlay look correct for the period?
>
> And, was that a Soistmann inlay pattern?
>
> Note what appears to be a bone vent grommet.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Ellis Mirsky
>

Question to RopeDrums Group Members: Based on the photos posted to our group's
website, does this drum look right to you?  I think it's okay but I'd like your
input.

E.g., aside from the fact that the counterhoop on top has a snare bed,
it's stenciled.  Does anyone know when stenciling on counterhoops began?

Also, does the inlay look correct for the period?

And, was that a Soistmann inlay pattern?

Note what appears to be a bone vent grommet.

Thanks.

Ellis Mirsky

----- Original Message -----

From: Ellis R. Mirsky

To: RopeDrums@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 11:34 AM

Subject: [RopeDrums] Re: Re; Gettysburg Eagle Drum

Dear Jayson,

Thank you for your post re this drum. I think this discussion can
serve as a learning experience for us.

My first question concerns the description of the snare strainer as
a "Cooperman strainer". The strainer actually looks remarkably
similar (not identical, some minor non-functional design
differences) to some on drums I have (one of which is at least 100
years old). I checked Cooperman's website (www.Cooperman.com) and
could not find a photo of a strainer. Can you direct me to any
additional information concerning the provenance of the strainer in
the photo?

My second question concerns the poorly rendered eagle. I agree. It
is a poor job. Is there any information concerning the quality of
the painted eagles on authentic eagle drums that would rule out this
eagle from being among the originals?

Thank you very much for your input.

Best.

Ellis Mirsky

Another maker of drums is reproducing this strainer. It has a longer
adjustment screw and brass attachment screws, however.

http://www.florancedrums.com/accessories.html

----- Original Message -----

From: Ellis R. Mirsky

To: RopeDrums@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 11:40 AM

Subject: [RopeDrums] Re: Re; Gettysburg Eagle Drum

Dear Bob,

I am waiting for delivery. It did not sell (the seller pulled it from
sale). I offered $350 which was accepted.

More extensive photos will be posted when I receive the drum.

Also, I am gratified to see that the photos are generating discussion
within the group. It would be nice to see others posting photos of
their work and their drums so that we can all learn from that
information.

Best.

Ellis Mirsky

The Cooperman Civil War model strainer is a copy of a strainer that
was used by several makers of drums during the 19th century. The clue
that this is one of those repro strainers was pointed out with the
note attached to the photo. "Vintage snare mechanism with modern non-
brass roundhead screws".

Dear Bob,

I am waiting for delivery.  It did not sell (the seller pulled it from
sale).  I offered $350 which was accepted.

More extensive photos will be posted when I receive the drum.

Also, I am gratified to see that the photos are generating discussion
within the group.  It would be nice to see others posting photos of
their work and their drums so that we can all learn from that
information.

Best.

Ellis Mirsky

Dear Jayson,

Thank you for your post re this drum.  I think this discussion can
serve as a learning experience for us.

My first question concerns the description of the snare strainer as
a "Cooperman strainer".  The strainer actually looks remarkably
similar (not identical, some minor non-functional design
differences) to some on drums I have (one of which is at least 100
years old).  I checked Cooperman's website (www.Cooperman.com) and
could not find a photo of a strainer.  Can you direct me to any
additional information concerning the provenance of the strainer in
the photo?

My second question concerns the poorly rendered eagle.  I agree.  It
is a poor job.  Is there any information concerning the quality of
the painted eagles on authentic eagle drums that would rule out this
eagle from being among the originals?

Thank you very much for your input.

Best.

Ellis Mirsky

----- Original Message -----

 

From: Jayson Dobney

To: RopeDrums@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Monday, May 21, 2007 1:23 PM

Subject: [RopeDrums] Re: Re; Gettysburg Eagle Drum

Hello Bob,

Which images are the images of this drum - are they the Eagle drum
photos in the Photos folder? That drum does look like it may have been
cut down, but why do you think it might be a repro? Any tell tale
signs that you see in tehse photos?

--- In RopeDrums@yahoogroups.com, "rwegone" <rwegone@...> wrote:
>
> It appears after reviewing photos that the drum has been cut down. If
> you look at the photo with the vent hole it favors the bottom of
photo.
> I am also supicious that this may be ? a repro. Anyway it's a very
> appealing drum.
> Thanks, Bob
>

Hello Bob,

Which images are the images of this drum - are they the Eagle drum
photos in the Photos folder?  That drum does look like it may have been
cut down, but why do you think it might be a repro?  Any tell tale
signs that you see in tehse photos?


--- In RopeDrums@yahoogroups.com, "rwegone" <rwegone@...> wrote:
>
> It appears after reviewing photos that the drum has been cut down. If
> you look at the photo with the vent hole it favors the bottom of
photo.
> I am also supicious that this may be ? a repro. Anyway it's a very
> appealing drum.
> Thanks, Bob
>

It appears after reviewing photos that the drum has been cut down. If
you look at the photo with the vent hole it favors the bottom of photo.
I am also supicious that this may be ? a repro. Anyway it's a very
appealing drum.
Thanks, Bob

We had a great Drum Maker who also did fine Drum Restoration here in
southeastern Pennsylvania His name William H. Reamer owner of
Drummers Service, New Holland, PA (Near Lancaster). Bill passed away
in February. His business was the successor to early Philadelphia Drum
Makers C.S. Walton, S.A. "Gus" Moeller & C.J. "Buck" Soistman.

Bill recently finished a partial restoration of my 1808 Porter
Blanchard Drum. The Drummers Service business will be continued by his
Son Andrew Reamer. Andy has been doing Drums in Pittsburg but will be
spending at least a year here in the Shop near New Holland, PA
completeing what Bill had been working on. Bill was 85. He will be
missed.

Thanks, Bob Benton

Hello - New Member Jayson Kerr Dobney here.

What a beautiful drum!  I have seen it in early catalogs from the
Lyon and Healy Company - but never that exact pattern.  L&H were
producing some lovely instruments in their early years, another
similar pattern is on a drum that is currently housed in the
National Music Museum in Vermillion, South Dakota.

The link to this drum is here:
http://www.usd.edu/smm/LyonandHealy1893Drum.html

You will notice that the pattern on the rims is different and the
inlay center piece is a sort of similar theme - with "classical"
instruments" but they are different - as is the wood choice and
varnishing.  The NMM version is light wood with darker wood inset.

Enjoy!






--- In RopeDrums@yahoogroups.com, "Ellis R. Mirsky" <emirsky@...>
wrote:
>
> Recently an 1890s(?) Lyon & Healey Ornately Inlaid Drum was sold
on
> eBay (the lucky winner paid $890, outbidding this Yahoo group's
> moderator by $10 -- the worst $10 I never spent).  I was, however,
able
> to salvage some photos from eBay before they went dark, as is
eBay's
> practice on sold items.
>
> See the album posted in this group with the title "1890s Lyon &
Healey
> Ornately Inlaid Drum).
>
> I've been unable to find anything like it anywhere on the
Internet.
> The inlay pattern is somewhat similar to those on some music boxes
> whose images can be found on the Internet using google's image
search
> engine.
>
> It would be interesting to hear from members if they have any idea
> about the provenance of this drum.
>
> Best regards.
>
> Ellis Mirsky
>

Recently an 1890s(?) Lyon & Healey Ornately Inlaid Drum was sold on
eBay (the lucky winner paid $890, outbidding this Yahoo group's
moderator by $10 -- the worst $10 I never spent).  I was, however, able
to salvage some photos from eBay before they went dark, as is eBay's
practice on sold items.

See the album posted in this group with the title "1890s Lyon & Healey
Ornately Inlaid Drum).

I've been unable to find anything like it anywhere on the Internet.
The inlay pattern is somewhat similar to those on some music boxes
whose images can be found on the Internet using google's image search
engine.

It would be interesting to hear from members if they have any idea
about the provenance of this drum.

Best regards.

Ellis Mirsky

This from Will Chappell in an email to me dated 5/1/07:

"Your drum [Lyon & Healy bass drum, ca. 1890 with star inlay and
inlaid circumferential stripes, design "Monarch"] appears to be in
pretty good shape. If I were you I would just replace the heads
unless there is significant splitting of the shell. Tucking skin
heads is really not very difficult. I would practice on a snare drum
before tackling a large bass drum, however.

You might also consider George Carroll. He could provide you with
skin heads at a ... [low] price ... or do a complete
restoration .... I am fortunate enough to live down the street from
his shop in Alexandria. He has a small sample of his drum collection
there. Many say that Mr. Carroll is the most knowledgeable person in
the world on the subject of rope drums and historical rudimental
drumming. His resume speaks for itself. He started the Old Guard
Fife, Drum, and Bugle Corps. and also the Fifes and Drum Corp at
Colonial Williamsburg in addition to transcribing all of the old
drum manuals from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Incidentally George used to own the Excelsior drum company's
catalog. It was either lost or stolen.

George's website is www.ropedrum.com. The easiest way to reach him
is by phone. He would be happy to answer any questions you might
have.

If you need any other advice, let me know.

Will Chappell

My name is Ellis Mirsky and I am a rudimental drummer.  I also
collect old rope and rod drums.  I've met a few others through my
collecting who have the same interest and who are quite
knowledgeable about field drums.

In my research it became clear that there was no single website that
collected information about field drums.  So, I decided to create
one.  This is an experiment and I hope it succeeds.

It would be good if other collectors could post photos and
information about their drums so that information could be shared
and we could better develop histories and provenances for drums we
come to own.

Other information is also welcome, including concerning restoration,
preservation, conservancy and repair.

If this is of interest to you, please join our group.

Best.

Ellis Mirsky
emirsky@...