The LEGACY Newsletter of the Muskegon Heritage Museum & Association

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1 The LEGACY September 2016 Newsletter of the Muskegon Heritage Museum & Association Museum News The volunteers at the museum have had a busy summer staffing the regular hours Thursday Saturday and the 9 visits by the Cruise ship Pearl Mist. We have averaged about 50 people per ship visit with busiest day having 99 visitors. The travelers from the ship are amazed at all the industries we had in Muskegon in years past. They have been very complimentary about the museum, its layout and presentation. We have met people who volunteer at or run several museums around the country and they too are impressed. These comments speak to all the hard work our winter, Thursday group of volunteers accomplishes to make the museum look like it does, thank you to all of you. The cruise ship is providing trolley busses to make a loop around downtown and I have been hopping on as they stop in front of the museum. I introduce myself and give a 1 minute introduction to the museum. This includes stressing that we have almost 10,000 square feet of display space, not just the store front that they can see from Western Ave. Those of you receiving this newsletter are members and we depend on you to spread the word about the museum. Please make it your goal to see that at least 10 people you know hear about the museum, then suggest they visit this fall. You are our best ambassadors for the museum. More visitors hopefully will lead to additional members and therefore we can spread the word to others. The museum should not be the best kept secret in Muskegon. Would you like to schedule a family get together at the museum or a business meeting? We have had numerous events over the past few years and they are a real positive with the attendees. If you are interested in something like this contact the museum via (info@muskegonheritage.org) The museum is open regular hours until October 15 th and then it will be open for school tours and special events through the winter. Thank you for your continued support of the museum through your membership. Allan Dake, Director MHM 1

2 Visitors ask how we acquired items for the museum? On April 1 st 2016 I got an from someone who was asking if I knew that Beebe Violins were Made in Muskegon. Of course I did not know anything about them. This led me first to the internet to see what could be found about Beebe Violins. A Facebook page all about the Beebe Violins and it was edited by Valerie Beebe, a great granddaughter of Byron Beebe, was all I found. There was nothing else available on line. After asking a few questions on the Facebook page I was put in touch with Randolph and Carolyn and several other family members. Randolph had a Byron Beebe violin #252 which he was willing to sell to the museum. Through the White Lake Lothmann Family Fund, Skip and Joy Lothmann donated the funds to purchase that violin and a second Beebe violin made by Byron. In talking to the Lakeshore Museum Center we found they had two Beebe violins and we were able to borrow one made by Emmett. These are in the showcase pictured at the right. The museum was able to acquire an Emmett Beebe violin in a wood carrying case that is available to play with the permission of the curator or director of the museum. We are looking for an Emmett violin for our collection. The following is a short history of Beebe violins made in Muskegon. Beebe Violins Made in Muskegon from BYRON E. BEEBE was born in Hastings, MN on November 25, He made his first violins in Grand Rapids, MI. in He then moved to Chicago in June of 1899 and worked with J.C. Hendershot. Byron went out on his own in October of that year, continuing the business of making violins. He moved to Muskegon in July of 1909 and had a violin shop at 1769 Jicoch St., in 1910 and then he moved the shop to 136 Clinton St. Byron s violins were made in the style of the classical Italian instruments such as those built by Stradivarius and Guarnerius. He built 32 non-numbered violins through 1902 and then began numbering violins starting with number 124 and his final total was 212 hand 2

3 made violins. He made 40 regraduated violins and 491 reconstucted violins. His violins typically were shaded gold or redbrown with a varnish of his own make. He also made nine cellos & three violas. EMMETT W. BEEBE was born on February 21, 1893 in Joplin, MS. As the son of Byron, he became an apprentice. He worked first with his father and then opened his own violin shop at 20 years old on Western Ave. in the Montgomery Building in The second violin made under his own name #101 was sold to G.D. McKillip in October 1911, this violin is in the Lakeshore Museum Center collection and the violin is on loan to the Heritage Museum. Emmett made 121 violins of the hand made type and over 300 reconstructed types, not including those he worked on as an apprentice to Byron. Both Byron & Emmett were well respected American violin makers in the early 1900's. Byron was quoted as saying "The maple has to laugh at you...it is no good if it doesn't twinkle in the light." And of the varnish, Emmett said "At best, varnish is an evil, it is necessary because it preserves the instrument and the sort of varnish to be striven for, is one that will not grip and twist the fine wood fibers. Anthony Yano, concert soloist & member of the St. Paul Symphony Orchestra called the Beebe violins masterpieces of the highest degree. Erriso Sansome of the Chicago Conservatory of Music called the Beebe violin a piece of fine workmanship with good qualities of tone and having a sweetness and power. Visit the museum soon with friends and see these violins in person. Another Mystery to solve My cousin John Dake of Ohio sent me a newspaper clipping from 1914 that said our great grandfather, E. B. Dake, was the President of the Commonwealth Adding Machine Company of Muskegon. Again, I had never heard of this company nor did I know what a Commonwealth Adding Machine looked like. This sent me looking on the internet and I did find a photo and with more hunting found some basic information about the company. The Company was founded in 1914, but only lasted until about It was a distinctively different looking machine. They manufactured two models, one that had a printout and one that did not. Every figure set by the keys appears in a separate set of dial wheels and there is a total always visible. It is a ten key machine with the keys placed in rows. The main operating lever is situated so that a simple push of the thumb 3

4 completes the operation. The total and clearing operations are preformed at the same time by pressing the total key and using the operating lever. The inventor of the Commonwealth Adding Machine was George Browning who was very well known in the adding machine field at the time. The company was formed with a capital stock of $200,000 with E. B. Dake as President, J. C. Thornburgh as Vice President and General Manager, W. E. Collier as Secretary and C. W. Marsh as Treasurer. By 1917 it was announced in the Michigan Manufacturer and Financial Record that the Brunswick-Balke- Collendar company would occupy the plant formerly owned by the Commonwealth Adding Machine Co. The Museum would very much like to find one of these adding machines for our collection. Can you help us find one? The Antique Engine Show last May was planned by Adam Winters. It was part of a Be a Tourist in yourown back yard activity. The show was a great success. We had over 350 people walk through the museum and visit the engine show on that free day. The original idea was proposed by Muskegon s amazing museums group. Thank you to Adam and others who helped on that day. It was a lot of fun. An additional item found recently is a Badger Carpet Cleaning Machine. Walt Rusin and Roger Wiitanen were at an estate sale and found this machine. It was made in Muskegon and it still works. Added to the museum collection a Browne-Morse metal desk donated by the Muskegon Community College. It is in the Browne-Morse display on the third floor. A stock certificate and other information about the company has been added to the exhibit. We know very little about this machine, except that Al Jancek designed the machine and started his company in about We are in touch with his daughter, Pam Avery, and expect to have more information soon about the company and the products it sold. We did read in a newspaper article that this machine sold for around $ at that time. 4

5 A project for this winter is to fund the purchase of a model of the Grand Trunk Car Ferry City of Milwaukee. The story of the Grand Trunk Rail lines in Muskegon and specifically the Ferries that traveled from Muskegon to Milwaukee, is an important story to tell about Muskegon s Port City. The car ferries carried mostly box cars and other types of railroad cars, loaded with products to be shipped all over the Western United States. The Muskegon Ferries did not car automobiles. This model (which is 36 long) and a diorama, to be built by museum staff, will have a total cost of about $ If you are willing to help with the funding, contact Allan. ead@muskegonheritage.org * A Walk About the Museum * Volunteers your chance to learn! Anne is offering to provide two times this fall for new volunteers, prospective volunteers and all current volunteers to walk around the museum with her and learn the highlights of the exhibits, stories and other tidbits of information. Current volunteers this is a way for you to become more comfortable being a guide for museum visitors. Would you like to become a museum volunteer? Come to a Walk About to see if this is what you would like to do. Information for new volunteers will be available at the end of the walk. The Walk Abouts will be on Thursdays: September 15 th 10 to 11:30 am September 22 nd, 12:30 2:00 pm. If you are planning to attend, please contact Anne at amd@muskegonheritage.org Volunteers are the heart of the museum operation! 5

6 Muskegon Heritage Association & Museum 561 W. Western Ave. Muskegon, Mi Share this issue of The Legacy with a friend. Regular museum hours T-F-S 11-4 through October 15 th 2016 Memberships support exhibits. Encourage your friends to visit the museum and become members. Basic Family memberships begin at $15. Patron memberships begin at $25. Membership applications can be found on the museum web site and are available at the museum. The Legacy is published three times per year by the Muskegon Heritage Association A non profit 501 (C)(3) 561 W. Western Ave. Muskegon, MI The mission of the Muskegon Heritage Museum is to preserve and share Muskegon s industrial and social history so that our irreplaceable heritage is available today and for the 6 future.

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