The DeBence Antique Music World Museum houses a collection
of more than 100 antique mechanical musical instruments dating from the mid
1800's to the 1940's. This collection was begun by Jake & Elizabeth
DeBence in the 1940's and continued to grow through the years. In 1965
the DeBences retired to the Franklin, PA. area and housed the collection
in a barn which they opened to the public for viewing. After Jake's
death, Elizabeth offered the collection for sale. It was her fervent
wish that the collection remain intact and in the area.
Citizens of Franklin and the surrounding area, realizing what
a treasure the collection was, formed a non-profit corporation to purchase
the collection and a building in which to house it. In a little over
7 months the community and surrounding area was able to raise over $1 million
in order to accomplish this task. The collection was then moved from
the DeBence farm to downtown historic Franklin. It now resides in the
old G. C. Murphy 5 & 10
store on Liberty Street.
The collection is showcased
along with a wide range of antiques that have either musical or local significance.
Lighting is provided by the DeBences' collection of over 40 Tiffany-style
hanging lamps.
Many of the instruments
in the collection are very rare. The Berry-Wood A.O.W. is the last
of its kind in existence. Less then 2 dozen WurliTzer Pianinos remain
today. The Cremona J "Tall Case" is one of only a few manufactured.
Guests not only enjoy seeing
these mechanical marvels, they have the opportunity to hear many of them
deliver their music of yesterday.
In Preservation we create
a tangible link with the past. In restoration we take that which was
all but lost and recreate it....not as a photograph or an artist's rendering,
but as an experience. An experience in which to see and touch and hear.
This museum, in many respects, is a repository of our past, a time line with
which to chart where we have been and perhaps understand where it is we are
going. It is testimony to man's spirit of vision, imagination and creativity...the
very building blocks of civilization.
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