Museum donation brings back warm memories for St. Joseph Island family (8 photos)

Jean (Trainor) Murphy, 93, positioned herself in front of the piano keys and played a few bars for old time sake for her daughter, daughter-in-law and granddaughter.

After all these years, tickling the ivories brought back warm memories for Murphy.

During a Trainor family reunion, several members of the family were recently introduced to a vintage piano and its history.

In June of this year, Colleen (Trainor) Richards arranged to have a piano donated to the St. Joseph Island Museum.

The piano was built in New York by J. C. Fisher and Sons in 1876. It was purchased by Alexander Duncan, Richards' great-grandfather, for his daughter, Mabel, for her 5th birthday. She received it on April 5, 1896.  

The secondhand wooden piano was shipped by rail to an unknown port on the Great Lakes, then traveled by ship to the Hilton Beach dock and finally transported by horse and wagon to the family home in Hilton Beach.

Richards' grandmother Mabel did learn to play as did Mabel's daughter Jean (Trainor) Murphy.

The piano was handed over to Richards’ father so his children could play the piano.

"My sister learned to play on that piano," she said. "Only 16 of its keys could be tuned, so when my sister got more experienced playing, she couldn't go down the piano very far."

Richards went on to say that her mother bought her daughter a second piano. The old Fischer piano remained in her parent's house in Sault Ste. Marie from 1962 until its move to St. Joseph Island Museum and into the log C-Line schoolhouse.

It was not uncommon in bygone days to have a piano in the schoolhouse, but probably nothing this elaborate, Richards said.

"For me, it's almost like a prayer has been answered," she said. "My dad tried for years to get the piano out of the basement. I always thought we would have to sell the house with the piano in it."

Due to a home renovation, it became possible. About five years ago, Richards contacted the Museum who at that time did not have room for the piano. An opportunity opened this spring.

Two generations of the family had never seen the piano.

Numerous artifacts have been donated to the museum by the Trainor family.

Alexander Gordon Duncan began the effort of constructing a bridge – now known as the Bernt Gilbertson St. Joseph Island Bridge – linking the mainland to St. Joseph Island. Duncan was presented a scroll for his achievements.

W. J. Trainor continued his work and was presented with a gold watch. Mabel Trainor and W. J. Trainor's wife saw the bridge it to completion. In fact, Mabel took part in the ribbon cutting ceremony along with Bernt Gilbertson, then MPP, on Sept. 25, 1973.

The last time Jean Murphy saw the piano was at her brother's house about 1965.

"It's amazing," Murphy said. "I hardly recognized it. The last time I saw it, it was black."

Mabel Trainor was instrumental in the formation of the St. Joseph Island Chamber of Commerce and the Hilton Union Public Library, also the founding of the St. Joseph Island Museum, helped organize the Old-Timers Picnic, and in her 80s worked in an effort to have a senior citizen's complex built in Hilton Beach.

Mabel died in 1980 in her 90th year.

Visit the St. Joseph Island Museum to learn more about the piano, and Alexander Duncan and Mabel Trainor. It's open for the month of September, Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.