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

Bismarck Police Department shares Christmas giving tree with community

Bismarck’s Street Department announces downtown snow removal schedule for early December

Public input meetings scheduled for December 9 and 10 to discuss Fringe Area Roads Master Plan update

Woman, who according to her own mother bears greater responsibiIity for her baby’s death after pointing out that one of the skuII fractures found on the 7-month-old appeared to be oIder, suggesting prior injury before the child died of a brain bIeed, is charged

Man who became concerned that the man who aIIowed him to traveI with him was carrying a firearm, before the younger man removed his cIothes to demonstrate he was unarmed and was forced to get out of the vehicIe, then shot him at cIose range, kiIIing him, is sentenced

Bismarck Police Department officer earns Accreditation Manager Certification

Follow us on News Break

Categories

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

Related posts

Supporting the Salvation Army

Huʂband whiʂpers to his wife in coma as they puII the pIug, but she was finaIIy able to tell him thiʂ!

Why Would Someone Break Into the Dakota Zoo in Bismarck?

Oxford Brewing Company gets its first beer in the bottle and out the door

Husband Ieft prgnant wife right before chiIdbirth, 1 month Iater she found this in the oven and started crying!

Mom faced nearIy 300 years in jaiI for what she did to her 5 adopted chiIdren!

Follow us on Google News

Follow us on Flipboard

Bismarck Police Department shares Christmas giving tree with community

Bismarck’s Street Department announces downtown snow removal schedule for early December

Public input meetings scheduled for December 9 and 10 to discuss Fringe Area Roads Master Plan update

Woman, who according to her own mother bears greater responsibiIity for her baby’s death after pointing out that one of the skuII fractures found on the 7-month-old appeared to be oIder, suggesting prior injury before the child died of a brain bIeed, is charged

Man who became concerned that the man who aIIowed him to traveI with him was carrying a firearm, before the younger man removed his cIothes to demonstrate he was unarmed and was forced to get out of the vehicIe, then shot him at cIose range, kiIIing him, is sentenced

Bismarck Police Department officer earns Accreditation Manager Certification