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Bovey Collection in Nevada City MT
By Sharon Marie

Thank you, Tim Trager, for sharing this background info about the
Boveys, Virginia City and Nevada City, and the mechanical music
collection.  I remember visiting both these historic towns, as a kid,
in the 1960s.  It was a wonderful experience to see and hear all those
great music machines.

The Nevada City Music Hall was filled with all kinds of mechanical
organs, lined against the walls, including a roll-operated Wurlitzer
theatre pipe organ (and with a few pipes patched with duct tape).
It also housed one of the three surviving Wurlitzer style 180 organs.
The 89-key Gavioli was quite impressive.  As a child, it seemed so
huge!  I'm curious as to which instruments are still on display.

The Bale of Hay Saloon had an equally impressive assortment of
nickelodeons and orchestrions.  I remember seeing two Seeburg J
orchestrions, on either side of the front door.  One had the Capitol
Dome art glass, and was wired with a set of Deagan Unafon bells.
The other had the art glass removed.  The question is, which Seeburg J
is up for auction?

 [ Andrew Barrett reported in 000724 MMD that it's a J with
 [ Capitol Dome glass.  -- Robbie

There was an LP made of the Virginia City/Nevada City instruments,
in the 1960s, on the Century Records label.  It was re-released in the
1980s, under a different label.  I have a copy of both.  The Seeburg J
with Unafon bells is featured, playing an unknown rag (solo piano with
bells).

Sharon Marie


(Message sent Wed 26 Jul 2000, 06:33:01 GMT, from time zone GMT-0700.)

Key Words in Subject:  Bovey, City, Collection, MT, Nevada

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