Musica Mecanica: Museums: USA, Middle West & South West

MUSICA MECANICA

News Navigation Special Favorite A-Z Associations Museums Links Credits

USA, Middle West & South West: Museums, attractions and private collections open to visitors

Francais - English - Deutsch

MIDDLE WEST and SOUTH WEST: (From Minnesota to Kansas and Texas:; Arkansas-Iowa-Kansas-Minnesota-Missouri-North Dakota-South Dakota-Texas); States are listed in alphabetical order, and so are the museums by their name inside each state.; Les Etats sont classés par ordre alphabétique, de même que les musées à l'intérieur de chaque Etat.; A-Z Einordnen der Staaten, und innen jeder Staat, A-Z Einordnen der Museum bei Name.
ARKANSAS
Miles Musical Museum,: U.S. Hwy 62,; (mailing address P.O. Box 488); Eureka Springs, Arkansas 72632; Tel. 501-253-8961.; Grosse collection/Large Museum/Grosse Sammlung.; 250 musical items; band, dance, reed and monkey organs, music boxes, nickelodeons, calliopes, phonographs, stringed instruments, hurdy gurdy.; Also musical chapel, animated mechanical circus, Christmas animations, animated farm & Mother Goose nursery rhymes, clocks, paintings carvings, old arcade machines, button mosaic pictures and many other items.; Open 9am-4:30pm.
IOWA
Billy Clock Exhibit,: 323 S. Main Str.; Spillville, Iowa 52188; Spillville is southwest of Decorah, Iowa (in the northeast part of the state) on Highway 52, then west on Route 325.; Tel. 319 562-3569.; Between 15 and 20 clocks with music boxes and moving figures.; Open 8am to 5:30pm May through Oct., 10 am to 4pm Nov. through April. (When not open someone is "on call"); Spillville is southwest of Decorah, Iowa (in the northeast part of the state) on Highway 52, then west on Route 325.
Plymouth Co. Historical Museum,: 335 1st Avenue SW,; Le Mars, Iowa 51031; (Mailing address: Box 444); (N of Sioux City); Tel. 712-546-7002.; One large musical box using a 25 ' disc, circa late I800s.
KANSAS
Carnival Heritage Museum: 200 E 6th; Kinsley, Kansas 67547; (between Dodge city and Hutchinson); Opened Tues-Fri 10-17h, and Sat 10-12h30; An old "Tilt-a-Whirl", and a small working carousel; In the same city, White's carousel manufactures carousel horses
Dickinson County Heritage Center: 412 S. Campbell; Abilene, KS 67410; (20 miles E of Salina); 785-263-2681; Museum is open year-round.; Collection includes:; 1902 C.W. Parker carousel and its Wurlitzer band organ; 1890 Kimball organ; 1860's three-octave Mason & Hamlin organ; Concert Roller Organ; ca. 1885 German-made accordion; 1895 Busy Bee graphophone, type O and wax cylinder recordings; Yankee Prince phonograph; Merrifield upright piano; Victrola; Also, the Museum of Independent Telephony, with a large collection of antique telephones, switchboards, and telephone equipment
Kansas Museum of History,: 6425 SW 6th Ave; (At the I-70 and I-470 interchange); Exit I-70 at Wanamaker Road (north), then follow the signs to the Museum.; Topeka, Kansas 66615; Tel. 785-272-8681.; Several music boxes and a Reginaphone (not always on display).; Open Mon.-Sat. 9am-4:30pm, Sun. 12:30-4:30.; "Exit I-70 at Wanamaker Road (north), then follow the signs to the Museum."
Riley County Historical Museum: 2309 Claflin Road; Manhattan, Kansas 66502; Tel. 785-565-6490; Collection includes:; Olympia music box (Reginaphone?); 1850's Melodeon by George A. Prince & Co., Buffalo, New York; 65-note piano by Carhart, Needham & Co., New York; Hours: Tuesday-Friday 8:30 am - 5 pm, Saturday-Sunday 2 - 5 pm
MINNESOTA
The Schubert Club Museum of Musical Instruments,: Landmark Center, 75W. 5th. St.; St. Paul, Minnesota 55102; Tel. 621-292-3267.; Free exhibits drawn from keyboard instrument collection, manuscript collection & Kugler collection.; Latter includes various automatic musical instrument cylinder & disc music boxes, organettes, player pianos, orchestrions and a Mills Violano.; Open Mon-Fri. llam-3pm Special arrangements sometimes possible to see instruments not on display.
MISSOURI
Faust Park Carousel,: 15185 Olive,; Chesterfield, Missouri 63017; Tel. 314-537-0222; 1921 Denzel 4 row 65 horse carousel (fully restored), 1899 Herchell Spillman organ (display only), 1989 Stinson Organ,; Open Wed-Sun l2pm-5pm.
NORTH DAKOTA
State Historical Society and Heritage Center,: 812 East Blvd.,; Bismarck, North Dakota 58505-0830; Tel. 701-224-2666.; Werner player piano with music roll, Tanzbar player accordion,; Chautauqua roller organ, Concert roller organ with music rolls, (2 organs), player organ, Gem roller organ with wooden cobs, Baldwin player piano with 44 rolls.; Open Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm . Sat 9am-5pm. Sun 11am-5pm.
SOUTH DAKOTA
Old West Museum,: Box 275,; Chamberlain, South Dakota 57325; Tel. 605-734-6157.; Seeburg pianos, Western Electric Derby, Coinola, Cremona, Mills Violano Wurlitzer, Regina changer model 34,; Open April 1 - Nov. 1, Sam-8pm.
Pioneer Auto Museum and Antique Town: Junction of Inter-State 90, US 16 & US 83,; Murdo, South Dakota 57559; Tel. 605-669-2691.; Three Reginas, 2 Mills Violanos, Wurlitzer band organ, Western Electric piano, 3 Seeburg pianos,Tangley Calliope, 5 Juke boxes, Several roller organs.; Open June- Sept.,7am-10pm. Open rest of the year by app't.
TEXAS
Beaumont Heritage Society: John Jay French Museum; Beaumont, Texas; Tel. (409) 898-3267; Wind-up music boxes
Harris County Heritage Society,: 1100 Bagby,; Houston downtown, Texas 77002; Tel. 713-655-1912.; Small collection of antique phonographs. Around Christmas is the best time to 'catch' one of the instruments being shown.
Olden Year Musical Museum,: 131 W. Fairmeadows,; Duncanville, Texas 75116; (Near Dallas); Tel. 214-298-5587.; Music boxes, phonographs, hurdy gurdies, organs, organettes, early radios and TVs, automata, and other automated musical machines.; Open by appointment only.
The Jefferson Theatre: Beaumont, Texas; Tel. (409) 832-6649; 3/7 Robert Morton Theatre organ in its original installation - they still use the organ before shows and sometimes even show the 'silents.'
John Jay French Museum: Texas; Tel. (409) 898-3267
Parkdale Printing Co.: Corpus Christi, Texas; Hand cranked 'monkey grinder' organ which is sometimes demonstrated at the historical homes park.
The Strand Emporium: 2112 Strand; Galveston, Texas USA; Telephone (409) 763-9445; Hours (cst) of Operation: M-F: 10am - 5:30pm Sat : 10am - 8:00pm; The store is a delicatessen/sweet shop with the collection in the rear with the seating area.; Collection includes a Wurlitzer military band organ, two nickelodeons, and a couple of other arcade style amuzements

Copyrights: Musica Mecanica. PhR - màj/update