[Harp-L] gettysburg harmonica

[Garry Hodgson <garry@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

sorry to dredge this up after you're all sick of it.  but i emailed the national
park service back when it started, and asked about the harp i'd seen in the 
museum there (isn't the 'net fun?).  today i got this nice reply from a curator
there, so i'm passing it along (with permission).  perhaps with the detail provided, 
some of you with historical knowledge might be able to provide more information
about this harp.  i told him i'd feed back any information we come up with.
it'd be really cool if we could help out the NPS.

he sent along an image of the harp, which i've uploaded to:
http://snarkus.com/pix/GETT-28263-harmonica.jpg
so y'all can have a look.

note that it says that "a nail is missing from the brass plate on each side".  
perhaps its owner was trying to set it up for overblows when fate overtook him.

Dean_Knudsen@xxxxxxx wrote:

>       Your email inquiry was forwarded to me so that I might be able to
> offer you a reply. We do indeed have a harmonica on exhibit in our museum.
> We have designated it as GETT 28263, and it was purchased from an auction
> house in 1987. What follows is copied directly from the harmonica's catalog
> record:
> 
>    European-made harmonica with a rectangular thin brown/black wood body 6
>    5/8" long by 1 7/8" wide by 3/8" thick. 32 small square mouth holes
>    along the narrow edge of one side. Raised brass plates with scalloped
>    edges are tacked on top/bottom. 16 holes through top plate arranged in 2
>    groups of 8. Between the holes is stamped with a 2-headed spread eagle
>    with crown above and the word "Patent" and "Wilhelm Thie Wien" below.
>    Two circles flanking eagle are stamped "Gold Medail" inside. Slight wear
>    on edges and a nail is missing from the brass plate on each side.
> 
>       It would appear that this particular harmonica was manufactured in
> Europe, and unfortunately does not bear a date of manufacture, which would
> have been most helpful in addressing your question about whether or not
> Civil War soldiers actually used harmonicas. I will do a little more
> digging to see what I can come up with regarding the use of the harmonica
> and get back to you with what I learn. In the meantime, I am attaching a
> photograph of our harmonica so you can see more closely what it looks like.
> Til later - Dean
> 
> (See attached file: GETT 28263 - harmonica.jpg)
> 
> Dean Knudsen, Museum Curator
> Gettysburg National Military Park
> 97 Taneytown Road
> Gettysburg, PA 17325

----
Garry Hodgson, Senior Software Geek, AT&T CSO

do for others with no desire of return.
we should all plant some trees
we will never sit under.