BrittDLD1 - Posted - 09/18/2012:  12:16:58

---

90 Years Ago Today -- Sept 18th, 1922 --

David L. Day, creator of the famed Fairbanks Whyte Laydie Banjo, former Manager of A.C. Fairbanks & Co., and former Vice President of the Vega Co.; walked up the steps, and through the front door of a small converted house on Thames St., in Groton, CT -- to assume his new duties as the Vice President of The Bacon Banjo Company, Inc.

Within 9 months, David Day and Frederick Bacon would introduce the "B&D Silver Bell" banjos -- arguably the finest production banjos of the 1920s.

Almost exactly 16 years later -- on Sept 21 -- The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 would inudate the little factory on Thames St., marking the beginning-of-the-end for The Bacon Banjo Company. As the then- President of The Bacon Co., Day would declare the company bankrupt, in early 1940 -- and sell all of the patent/trademark rights, as well as the existing parts and inventory to The Gretsch Company, of Brooklyn, NY.

At age 75, after working in the banjo business for 57 years -- Day, and his wife Annie, retired to Revere, MA.

Best-Ed Britt

---

Edited by - BrittDLD1 on 09/18/2012 12:20:58

kmwaters - Posted - 09/18/2012:  12:20:26

---

Great history - thanks.

wuzapicker - Posted - 09/18/2012:  12:23:08

---

Excellent information, Ed!

Thanks!

I shall save that information. Though my primary banjo passion is Wm. L. Lange's Paramount line, I do appreciate B&D's, Vega's, Gibson's and Epiphone's Jazz age offerings.

Michael

SWCooper - Posted - 09/18/2012:  14:36:09

---

The Great Gale of '38 was one of America's great weather disasters. I never heard of it until I moved North and they did all the retrospectives in 1988. An amazing storm -- the high water mark is labeled on some buildings in downtown Providence, two stories up. One family's house was picked up by the storm and carried out to sea with them in the attic, sailing along like a galleon. New England was covered in dead dogs, poor things -- drowned because the water was deeper than their chains would reach.

I had no idea it put an end to Bacon banjos.

skip sail - Posted - 09/18/2012:  14:55:38

---

Wild storms and banjos. Two of my favourite things. In one sentence!
What a great post,and I particularily love SW Coopers response,the vivid and surreal imagery of sailing houses,floating dogs on the end of their chains,and sinking banjos is haunting.

NYCJazz - Posted - 09/18/2012:  15:03:27

---

The house on Thames St

tymburrs - Posted - 09/18/2012:  15:06:56

---

Terrific post, sharing unique moments in history, right up our neck too! Thank you, michael

BrittDLD1 - Posted - 09/18/2012:  15:54:46

---

Hi --
Thanks for the Kind words!

Nathan -- Thanks for posting that photo of the building.

I was planning on posting MY photo of it. But my photo is

currently inaccessible, on one of my dead computers.

Best-Ed Britt

---

Edited by - BrittDLD1 on 09/18/2012 15:57:04

TB-4 Guy - Posted - 09/18/2012:  18:56:40

---

This is very interesting. I really enjoy hearing about the historical aspects of the music busniess and in particular banjo history.

Regards.

ellabrow - Posted - 09/18/2012:  23:33:02

---

Thanks for the history lesson!

Polle Flaunoe - Posted - 09/19/2012:  03:10:12

---

Ed,

Sadly I don´t have a flagpole in my garden - otherwise I would have hoisted our beautiful flag yesterday.

Everyday I do enjoy the results of this extremely innovative mans efforts over many years - and I´m especially glad, that some of his ideas and constructions are still used these days by some leading builders.

Thanks for pointing out this important day 90 years ago.

Polle

rudykizuty - Posted - 09/19/2012:  04:08:36

---

Been a BHO member since 2009. I have to say, this is my favorite post of all since joining. I truly appreciate that there are those among us who care enough to research, learn and preserve such historical facts. Thank you, Ed.

Then there are others such as the Mrs., who upon hearing this news said "Should I bake a cake?" LOL Makes me appreciate my BHO friends more and more.

Polle Flaunoe - Posted - 09/19/2012:  08:09:40

---

Anthony,

May I suggest these cakes - in DK called:

"DAY & NIGHT cakes".

Only - I wonder - who was Mr. Night?

Polle

rudykizuty - Posted - 09/19/2012:  08:14:08

---

Cut in half and serve the "Day" side topped with a strip of Bacon.

Although in reading this a second time, I am certain it is a recipe for a much better banjo than it makes for a snack. 

---

Edited by - rudykizuty on 09/19/2012 08:16:01

BrittDLD1 - Posted - 09/19/2012:  09:29:40

---

.

.

Photo: direct.hangoutstorage.com/banj...22010.jpg
.

.

And... if you are wondering WHY the Bacon "factory" (workshop?)

was inundated by water, during the 1938 Hurricane... Here is a photo

of the LEFT side of the factory -- with the a section hanging over

the Thames River. The Hurricane's surge caused the river to rise

about 9 or 10 feet, I believe.

.

So... on Friday 9/21 -- we'll all have to play our Bacon banjos UPSIDE-DOWN

as the international signal of distress. ;-)

.

Look through the FIRST album on photo page. -- you'll see a

number of Bacon/Groton photos, from earlier discussions:

.

banjohangout.org/myhangout/pho...umid=1358
.

.

Unfortunately, the way that BHO discussions are "archived", it

strips them of all of the embedded images. So the archived

text becomes useless -- since much of it is referring to specific

details in the photos.

.

I've been trying to remember to also "attach" copies of any embedded

photos, because those ARE transferred to the archived version.

.

But the attachment photos are a pain-in-the-a** when discussing

specific visual details. Because when they pop-up -- they often

completely COVER the text that is describing them!

.

.

Best- Ed Britt

.

---

Edited by - BrittDLD1 on 09/19/2012 09:43:13

Yup!

shannonhearne - Posted - 09/19/2012:  10:08:14

---

Thanks Ed, and to all who contributed to this Post.

Really terrific!

-shannon

Gordy Ohliger - Posted - 09/19/2012:  10:39:09

---

This is the stuff n starch of why I'm in this Hangout.
It's so nice to see all that info in one place, succinct, and nicely transferred to the public...this is the kind of thing I endeavor to get across in my Banjo-ology show.
The photos had a strong effect on me. (Wow...that's so east coast!)
I'm choked-up, knowing that is the birth place of my favorite banjos, here at my side. THANK YOU!

NYCJazz - Posted - 09/19/2012:  21:47:47

---

You can see the building from the Amtrak train from the New London station. I take the train with my wife between New York and Boston on a pretty regular basis.

Everytime I go by, I have a little spiritual experience looking at the building. My wife just humors me.

Polle Flaunoe - Posted - 09/20/2012:  00:18:25

---

The Groton Works Anno 1925:

Polle

rudykizuty - Posted - 09/20/2012:  02:56:18

---

I was unaware that the slang "peeps" goes back so far in time.

beezaboy - Posted - 09/20/2012:  04:04:43

---

Ed - Thanks for your post.  We need to continue to keep track of the important things!

Attached are a couple of items from the 1950's Fretted Instrument News.

Fretted Instr. News- Mar, 1950

Fretted Instr. News - Dec. 1956

BrittDLD1 - Posted - 09/20/2012:  12:30:55

---

Hi Beeze --

.

Thanks for the clippings. I don't have those specific ones... although I already

knew about both of those events -- from other sources.

.

I dispute Day being "94 years old" at death. In a couple US censuses -- and

some other sources stating his age, over his career -- his birth year seems to

be 1865.

.

In a local Boston-area paper's obit, his age at death was stated as "92". But I've

also seen it as "93". I have NOT found any 'hard' documentation on his birthdate.

(Yet.)

.

Melrose is the next town south of me. I've been to their library's "local history" room.

I found his last address in a few directories. But the Melrose papers for the WEEK

that he died are missing. So I don't have the Melrose obit.

.

.

Best- Ed Britt

---

Edited by - BrittDLD1 on 09/20/2012 12:32:50