Ward County Historical Society moves the late Ervin Erickson’s pianos to Minot

MINOT, N.D. – A Bismarck piano man’s legacy and dream of establishing a piano museum has been rescued by the Ward County Historical Society after his death last June.

Ervin Erickson could never bear to see a piano – especially a player piano – sent to the dump and collected as many as 70 of them, said his sister, Enid Bachman.

“He fell in love with pianos,” said Bachman.

Erickson’s lifelong affinity began when he was in grade school and took piano lessons, said Bachman, and he had a dream of one day starting a piano museum.

When he passed away, his family tried to find a museum or historical society that would accept the pianos or an individual or business who might want to buy them.

Submitted Photo The Ward County Historical Society moved about 60 pianos that had once belonged to Ervin Erickson of Bismarck, who died in June 2020.

“We weren’t really having any luck selling them,” said Bachman. “It’s not a good market right now.”

It would also have cost the family to have the pianos taken to the dump, said Dan Caswell, a Ward County Historical Society board member, and Bachman said her family would have hated to see her brother’s lifelong work go to the local dump. The family put out some feelers in search of a historical society that might be willing to take possession of the pianos and the Ward County Historical Society answered the call.

The pianos they rescued are currently in storage in semi-trailers owned by Gary Price, said Caswell.

Caswell said one day the museum hopes to raise money to construct a separate building at its pioneer village in Burlington that would house only the pianos. There are only three museums devoted solely to pianos in the United States in Michigan, Maine, and New York. The Ward County Historical Society’s museum would make a fourth and would also complete Erickson’s dream.

Caswell said the historical society also hopes to construct another building that would house a collection of old TVs and radios and another building for its antique cars. The historical society has applied for grants and done some fundraising since the museum was relocated to Burlington from its former site at the North Dakota State Fairgrounds in Minot. Donations are particularly appreciated.

Ward County Historical Society moves the late Ervin Erickson’s pianos to Minot

Follow us on Google News

Follow us on Flipboard

Trending Slider

Woman who claimed another chiId pIaced a 6-year-old into a smaII container after regularly forcing the chiId into it as punishment for moving in her sIeep, then pIaced bIankets on top, which bIocked airfIow and caused suffocation, is sentenced

Man who spent nearly an hour on the phone with his mother instead of caIIing 911 for heIp after reaIizing his girIfriend, who exited a moving vehicIe, was not responding, even moved her body into taIIer grass, making it more difficuIt for responders to find her, is sentenced

63-year-old man killed in rollover crash on icy Highway 53 in McLean County

Bismarck Human Relations Committee to host Community Conversation Forum on homelessness Nov. 18

Bismarck reminds citizens to apply for the 2026 Citizen Academy, offering a behind-the-scenes look at city government

Mom who was woken up by her oIder chiId hours after faIIing asIeep with her 3-month-oId baby, following a whoIe day of using drugs, only to find the infant submerged in the water and not breathing, is convicted

Follow us on News Break

Categories

Ward County Historical Society moves the late Ervin Erickson’s pianos to Minot

Related posts

Couple overjoyed when twin girls are born, then doctor walked in the hospital room and said “I’m sorry”!

Cat disappeared for hours, returned with a note that left his owner scrambling for her phone!

New restaurants coming to the Magic City

Cosplayers, pop culture fans take over Minot for iMagicon 2021

The Red River Zoo Celebrates Mother’s Day

Mother asked husband to ravish her daughter every few days for 1 year, made one special request in return!

Follow us on Google News

Follow us on Flipboard

Woman who claimed another chiId pIaced a 6-year-old into a smaII container after regularly forcing the chiId into it as punishment for moving in her sIeep, then pIaced bIankets on top, which bIocked airfIow and caused suffocation, is sentenced

Man who spent nearly an hour on the phone with his mother instead of caIIing 911 for heIp after reaIizing his girIfriend, who exited a moving vehicIe, was not responding, even moved her body into taIIer grass, making it more difficuIt for responders to find her, is sentenced

63-year-old man killed in rollover crash on icy Highway 53 in McLean County

Bismarck Human Relations Committee to host Community Conversation Forum on homelessness Nov. 18

Bismarck reminds citizens to apply for the 2026 Citizen Academy, offering a behind-the-scenes look at city government

Mom who was woken up by her oIder chiId hours after faIIing asIeep with her 3-month-oId baby, following a whoIe day of using drugs, only to find the infant submerged in the water and not breathing, is convicted