Drum by John Lowell of Bangor, Maine

Believed to have been manufactured in 1850 (substantiating information to follow), this drum arrived at my office in 2006 in pretty rough condition: essentially just a lot of parts. But so many things about the drum made it special and worthy of restoration, including the union shields on the pulls, the handwritten label, the tack line at the shell seam and counter hoop laps, the snare mechanism, and the vent hole grommet.

Thanks to Jim Ellis and his craftspersons at Cooperman Drum Company in Bellows Falls, Vermont for their superb restoration work.



Design Features Revealed in Photo
Note the vent hole grommet, tacked lapped counter hoops, snare mechanism and line of tacks at seam (second photo below). Also, note the light area below the leather pull/tug/ear indicative of wear caused by prior pulls.




Brass Union Shield on Each Ear
A fine decorative touch believed to be on the originals, each ear has one of these puppies on it (3/4" x 3/4"). I have two original brass shields. I was able to obtain replacements in pewter but plan to upgrade to brass.




Staples Soldered to Rear of Union Shield



Handwritten Label in Drum
John Lowell / Manufacturer and / Dealer in all kinds of / Musical Instruments / No. 4 Maine St. / Bangor




Snare Mechanism