Let's just say I was inspired by our PW friends who recently made the trip to Europe to see the many fine piano-related things there were to see (very cool, btw--thanks for sharing your pics!).. And let's just say, then, that being inspired, I arranged a piano-related 'Stay-cation' for myself here in northern Illinois! And let's just say, further then, that I learned so much on my little field trip, and yet still have so many un-answered questions about what I saw, that I'm compelled to open a thread, here! But I'll need to share it in serial fashion because there is so much..
This mini-adventure started about a year ago, on a rainy day in April, when I wheeled an old, unwanted Schiller console off of a neighbor's front porch and somehow managed to wrestle it down the basement stairs without killing anyone involved. Some of you might remember this thread. The Schiller still sits in the basement, thusly:
My 1930 Schiller console
..It sits thusly because I have been concentrating on refurbishing my little Lester spinet and my big Haddorff upright. Still, since taking in the Schiller, I have been curious about its history.
Some of you may know from other posts that I am a rather child-spirited novice when it comes to all things piano--simultaneously curious, eager to learn, ready to bare my soul and share my mistakes, failures and successes, quick to laugh and quick to cry and still very much a 'blank slate' with a swiss-cheese kind of knowledge (lots of holes..including in my metaphors!..). Imagine my surprise to discover that this Schiller, pictured above, was built in Oregon, Illinois, a mere 20 miles away along the banks of the beautiful Rock River. Imagine my wonder to discover by a quick Internet search that the building where this piano was built still stands, having been partially renovated into retail mall space. Imagine my excitement at being introduced by a mutual friend to the owner of the property of said mall, who was more than willing to give me a nickel tour of the out-of-the way spaces where the Schiller history reaches out of the past and begs to be told.
So, after a quick phone call, I fueled up the vehicle and drove down Rte. 2, which follows the Rock River through Black Hawk country..
Statue of 'The Eternal Indian' overlooking the Rock River, 2 miles from Oregon, Illinois at Lowden State Park
..to Oregon, Illinois, where settler John Phelps started it all by building a cabin in 1833,
Oregon, Illinois viewed from the vantage point of 'The Eternal Indian'
..and where the Chana schoolhouse was built 50 years later, in 1883,
The bell tower reads 'S. Dist. No. 7, Pine Rock, 1883'
..to meet Lou Vander Wyst, current owner and manager of the Conover Square mall.
Years prior to this, around 1800, Sauk and Mesquakie (Fox) leaders ceded to the United States all their tribal lands east of the Mississippi river--about 50 million acres! For this, they received a parcel of land in Iowa, and a promise from the young United States government for an ongoing payment of $1,000 a year. Black Hawk, an elderly Sauk warrior, stayed in Illinois vowing not to attack, but vowing also not to leave. He led a group of about 1,000 men, women and children north along the Rock River, calling on the remaining tribal villages to join them in a move to reclaim their land.
Black Hawk
On May 14, 1832, three Sauk messengers were shot by men from the Illinois militia. Apparently, the white flag that the Sauk were carrying did not convince the militia of the Sauk's true intentions. As a result, Black Hawk's warriors retaliated, and while outnumbered 12 to 1, won the fight that was called, 'The Battle of Stillman's Run.' And so began the 'Black Hawk War.' As the war moved north along the Rock River, however, other tribes refused to join Black Hawk. His group dwindled, suffering losses at every turn. On August 27, after being pushed into Wisconsin, Black Hawk surrendered. 'I fought hard, but your guns were well aimed,' is the established Black Hawk quote. United States forces involved in this action included three major notables: Zachary Taylor, Jefferson Davis, and Abraham Lincoln.
Looking north on the Rock River at Byron, IL, half-way between Oregon and Rockford
So what does this have to do with pianos?
F.G. Jones, founder of the Schiller Piano Company
Well, at about this time, the father and mother of Frederick George Jones were starting their lives in Canada. By the time he would reach middle age, Frederick George Jones, the son of a Canadian pioneer woman and an English immigrant tailor, would become the principle founder of the Schiller Piano Company. Frederick George arrived in Oregon, Illinois in 1865 at the age of 14 years old, a mere 30 years or so after the Black Hawk War. Another thirty years or so after that, having worked in various dry goods businesses in Oregon and Rockford, Illinois, F.G. Jones would begin to make his mark in piano manufacturing history.
Copy of page 1 of the statement of organization filed with the Illinois Secretary of State, August 29, 1892, showing the name of the company
The statement of organization reads: 'State of Illinois, Department of State, Isaac N. Pearson, Secretary of State. To all to whom these presents shall come, greeting: Whereas, a statement, duly signed and acknowledged has been filed in the Office of the Secretary of State, on the 29th day of August A.D. 1892, for the organization of the 'Schiller Piano Company,' under and in accordance with the provision of 'an act concerning corporations' approved April 18, 1892 and in force July 1, 1892, and all acts amendatory thereof, a copy of which statement is hereto attached.'
(It's much more fun to read it in 19th century cursive.. )
At $100 a share, F.G. Jones and 3 others chipped in a total of $25,000 to start the company, which four short years later weathered the Panic of 1896 and five years after that practically doubled in size.
Copy of page 2 of the statement of organization filed with Illinois Secretary of State, August 29, 1892, showing stockholders
So as I stood in the lobby of the Conover Square mall, having read these statements of organization--duly noted, copied and severally varnished to plywood--I pondered my first real question of the day: 'Why would a man named F.G. Jones, with business partners named Connell, Jepson, and Corl, name the company 'Schiller'?'
From an undated tinted postcard
Stay tuned for the answer. I actually have one!
And please stay tuned for future questions, too, the answers for which I have none!..
Thanks for reading!
--Andy Strong