melodeon
Object
Accession Number
984.035Alternate Name
melodianDescription
A rosewood-veneered melodeon, the flat wooden top hinged in the centre to reveal the ebony and ivory keyboard, the octagonal tapering legs widest at the top with rounded shoulders terminating with small faceted balls, the iron pumping mechanism with two foot-pedals attached to the lyre-shaped support.Narrative
This instrument was said by its donor to be one of two like it to have been made in California. The maker has not yet been identified.History of Use
The donor of this melodeon stated that it was imported new to Victoria, B.C. in 1875 by Theophilus Elford, owner of the Shawnigan Lake Lumber Company. He was on a buying trip in San Francisco an instrument like this one in a cabinetmaker's shop. It was already sold, and so he ordered an identical one. It was a wedding gift for his wife.Mrs. Elford was later one of the 55 men, women, and children killed in the famed Point Ellice Bridge disaster of May 26, 1896. The poorly-maintained bridge collapsed under the weight of a heavily-loaded streetcar. Details may be seen here: https://pointellicehouse.com/point-ellice-bridge-disaster/ (last accessed April 7, 2023).
After Mrs. Elford's tragic death, the melodeon was given to her daughter, and still later, to her children, who donated it to Craigdarroch Castle in 1984.
The gift to The Castle Society was reported to the Board of Directors on June 13, 1984.1
1. Minutes of the joint meeting of The Castle Society's Board of Directors and Executive Committee, June 13, 1984.
