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

NDHP uses aerial surveillance and FLIR to track fleeing drivers in Williston and Fargo

Motorcyclist seriously injured after high-speed crash in Traill County

Bismarck Airport to begin parking lot equipment upgrade on June 2

Oklahoma man extradited to North Dakota in human trafficking investigation

Partial road closure at Richland County Road 8 and 81 after minor injury crash

Northbound I-29 lanes temporarily closed during mental health crisis response

Follow us on News Break

Categories

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

Related posts

New restaurants coming to the Magic City

Mom finaIIy got pŕegnant after trying 10 years, then the doctor caIIed and confessed he made a teŕribIe mistake!

Local residents are not letting these hot temperatures keep them from their favorite summer pastimes

Owners say new barbershop and salon is about more than making money

Restaurant Will Ban Any Customer Smelling Of Weed

Minot State holding ‘Giving Day’ 2021 Wednesday

Follow us on Google News

Follow us on Flipboard

NDHP uses aerial surveillance and FLIR to track fleeing drivers in Williston and Fargo

Motorcyclist seriously injured after high-speed crash in Traill County

Bismarck Airport to begin parking lot equipment upgrade on June 2

Oklahoma man extradited to North Dakota in human trafficking investigation

Partial road closure at Richland County Road 8 and 81 after minor injury crash

Northbound I-29 lanes temporarily closed during mental health crisis response