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

North Dakota Highway Patrol urges drivers to ‘take the extra 10 minutes’ after driver caused crash that injured several people by using an interstate median crossover to illegally turn around

North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong orders flags to half-staff Friday to honor victims of 9/11 terrorist attacks

Bismarck police and fire departments battle for blood donations as Team Fire takes early lead with 37 units collected

Sen. Cramer praises President Trump, says “his approval will provide much-needed support” as North Dakota receives federal resources after disaster declaration

Gov. Armstrong suffers major setback as North Dakota House rejects his push to permanently ban controversial substance after Senate approves measure

North Dakota Highway Patrol arrests Bismarck man after stolen Mercury Grand Marquis rolls in I-94 crash, 49-year-old driver faces felony DUI and additional charges

Follow us on News Break

Categories

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

Related posts

Doctors saw something coming out of baby’s head; ‘when they realized what it was, it left them in disbelief’!

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

CrueI cIasṣmates noticed ṣmeII coming from between girI’s Iegs, puts her in the hoṣpitaI!

Dad found letter from míssing daughter, the last line had him ṣcreaming in tears!

Fun for the whole family with Minot Symphony Orchestra

Parents say their baby didn’t open his eyes for a week, ‘devastated after they found out the troubling truth’!

Follow us on Google News

Follow us on Flipboard

North Dakota Highway Patrol urges drivers to ‘take the extra 10 minutes’ after driver caused crash that injured several people by using an interstate median crossover to illegally turn around

North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong orders flags to half-staff Friday to honor victims of 9/11 terrorist attacks

Bismarck police and fire departments battle for blood donations as Team Fire takes early lead with 37 units collected

Sen. Cramer praises President Trump, says “his approval will provide much-needed support” as North Dakota receives federal resources after disaster declaration

Gov. Armstrong suffers major setback as North Dakota House rejects his push to permanently ban controversial substance after Senate approves measure

North Dakota Highway Patrol arrests Bismarck man after stolen Mercury Grand Marquis rolls in I-94 crash, 49-year-old driver faces felony DUI and additional charges