Big E and I are often called upon by friends of ours to help
with salvaging items from our town's history.
There was the time we helped move a large built in cabinet, stairs, doors
and a truck bed load of wainscoting from the old fire house and public school (that post here).
And the time we helped remove transom windows, light fixtures,
doors and even cut out an entire entryway
in the old parochial school at the Catholic Church.
Most recently, we were asked to help move an old, large grandfather clock.
Piece of cake.
No, really, it was, in the world of salvaging Littlestown history,
pretty easy.
(Sorry, I took no photos of the clock. It's gorgeous though, trust me)
While helping to package clock parts for the move, one of our friends asked,
"Hey, you guys wouldn't want an old player piano would you?
It's just going to get chopped up and thrown away."
Big E's head lifted.
I said no.
Big E went with the home owner and looked at the piano.
I looked at the piano.
I said no.
Our friend reminded us it was going to get chopped up.
Big E said how he didn't want it to get chopped up.
I'm pretty sure you see where exactly this is going.
I gave in, especially after researching the piano and learning it was something that
very well could have been in our own house back in the day.
(meaning a player piano, not this specific one).
This is the photo from the Weaver Piano and Organ Company catalog in York, PA
that shows the exact same type of player piano we would be owning.
Provided we could figure out how to move it.
There is a reason why you can find many free pianos around.
They weigh 800 pounds or more and aren't easy to move.
I actually lucked out and missed the whole piano moving process
because Big E wanted to surprise me with a piano in the house when
I got home from my weekend away.
This was most likely good for everyone since my anxiety is often problematic.
Our friends managed to assemble
a big group of people to help with the moving.
Thankfully, they had a truck with a lift gate,
which made the process a little easier.
Currently, the piano is residing in the laundry room.
Eventually, it will live in the dining room,
but it'll take some dining room demo and remodeling
before the piano will fit in the room.
Not a drastic remodel really, just reconfiguring a plumbing closet
that was not original to the house so the hutch can move to that wall,
and the piano will have a place of honor.
An added bonus was finding the business card of the gentleman who used to tune the piano.
Big E called, and the man was alive and remembered the family who owned the piano.
He was able to check his piano book, and it was determined that the piano was
built in 1923-24.
The piano, of course, needs some work.
It is horribly out of tune and while all the player mechanisms work,
the bellows aren't pumping to produce the air needed to play the roll of music.
We have leads on 2 people in the area who work on player pianos,
and we hope to get one out to look at it soon.
It's also obvious that the piano was painted.
(why do people DO that??!)
Luckily, I should be able to strip the paint off to uncover the original wood veneer.
There was also some damage to the wood veneer in the move,
but I know of people in the area that also repair that sort of thing.
Along with the piano we also received 2 boxes full of music rolls,
so once we get it working we'll be able to play it.
I'd love to have it in place for Christmas.
Granted, I only saw 1 Christmas song in the boxes,
so everyone would listen to Silent Night over and over again.
I hear there are some other potential salvaging missions in the works-
can't wait.
