Bismarck Daily Bismarck Daily Bismarck Daily
    • Home
    • Advertise
    • About us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
    31 Aug 2026
    • Bismarck Daily Bismarck Daily Bismarck Daily
    • Local News
    • State News
    • Politics
    • Coronavirus
    • Sports
    • Community
    • About us
    • Privacy Policy
    Ward County Historical Society moves the late Ervin Erickson’s pianos to Minot
    Community

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

    Ally Dillinger, 6 years ago
    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.

    State News

    Proposal would give money to North Dakota coal plants by taxing wind power

    Coronavirus

    How Minot became the COVID-19 capital of North Dakota

    Related posts

    Community

    Mom experienced chest pains but dismissed them as nothing serious, ‘luckily her son did what every parent hates the most’!

    Ally Dillinger, 3 years ago
    Community

    Dad was horriḟied and scrẹamed for help when he saw what his wiḟe put in the washing machine!

    Ally Dillinger, 2 years ago
    Community

    Parents were shocked when they saw their newborn baby’s condition, then doctors told them the troubIing truth!

    Ally Dillinger, 3 years ago
    Community

    From paper to pots, Moorhead art professor shares pandemic art at faculty exhibit

    Ally Dillinger, 5 years ago
    Community

    Turtle Mountain Tribe Releases New Details in Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting Investigation

    Troy McAllister, 2 years ago
    Community

    He noticed strange pattern on a lake, but ‘what experts pulled from it is nothing short of absolutely amazing’!

    Ally Dillinger, 3 years ago

    Follow us on Google News

    Follow us on Flipboard

    Trending Slider

    Gov. Armstrong and Agriculture Commissioner Goehring announce additional $2 million for North Dakota drought relief program after demand surges
    1 day ago
    North Dakota man arrested for DUI after rear-ending SUV at stop sign, vehicle bursts into flames and preliminary breath test shows a breath alcohol concentration of .174
    1 day ago
    Farm equipment becomes stuck under I-94 overpass, forcing eastbound closure and causing traffic delays before lanes reopen
    1 day ago
    Bismarck officials host FEMA representatives, Hoeven’s office for south flood control project tour
    1 day ago
    Tyler Parkway intersection to close for storm sewer work starting Friday
    3 days ago
    Bismarck hotel evacuated after electrical panel fire, no injuries reported
    3 days ago

    Follow us on News Break

    Categories

    • Bismarck (1)
    • Community (595)
    • Coronavirus (232)
    • Crime News (336)
    • Local News (708)
    • News (15)
    • Politics (260)
    • Sports (215)
    • State News (565)
    • Trending (335)
    • Uncategorized (1)
    • Login
    • Register

    Forgot Password

    Registration is closed.