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| Greg Mullinax photo |
Last night, a large group met at the Bates County Museum to make it official- the Steinway will be on its way!
After several years of planning, fundraising and a little nail biting- the time has finally arrived to ship the historic piano to New York for a complete restoration.
A brief history:
The piano was originally purchased over 135 years ago by Butler physician Elliott Pyle; the rich sound and detailed styling of a Steinway model B was just what the doctor ordered. To the tune of about $1,000, which was a lot of money in 1877.
The piano stayed in use as his daughter Eunice gave piano lessons through 1979, at which point both teacher and instrument were simply worn out- the 716 lb piano found a new home at the Bates County Museum just off the Butler square. Eunice passed on just four years later.
For close to three decades, the piano sat silently and got little more attention than an occasional dusting. Over the years literally thousands of people passed by the grand Steinway not realizing its monetary or historical value.
By the way, the restored piano is expected to have a value of around $100,000.
Bates County Coroner Greg Mullinax offered this summation:
"This evening we joined Bates County Museum for a very enjoyable time, as they made the first step in the restoration process of the of the 1877 Model B Steinway Grand Piano. A true work of art and community treasure. Congratulations to Peggy Buhr and the entire museum board as they see their dream come true. You are all wonderful assets to our community and to the preservation of our history! The piano will now begin its long trip to New York where it will begin a year long restoration."
Mid America Live will provide more updates as the project moves along.
