Appleknockers Drum & Bugle Corps Collection
By John Marks, Curator
Over the last 20 years we’ve become a repository for Geneva Appleknockers drum and bugle corps history. We’ve posted photos on our Facebook page (Historic Geneva NY), a video on our website, and a podcast This month I’ll share a partial list of items in our collection.
In 2005 Ken “Ace” Petersen gave us a large donation of instruments and uniforms. There are six uniforms from the senior, junior, and cadet corps. The uniform (image on the left)was worn from 1948 to 1953 before the group was known as the Appleknockers. Ken also donated a street jacket, garrison cap, and four banners. Instruments included a French horn, bugle, and three drums and harness.
Our collection now includes:
• Group photos from 1934 and 1949
• Photo albums and scrapbooks
• Slides and PB Oakley photos of all three corps, already in our collection
• Several street jackets – the one shown here came from Jim Van Houten
• Pins and buttons
• 1965 poster for junior corps show at Shuron Park
• Junior corps trophies from the American Legion
• Albums from various years
• CDs of albums
We were familiar with the above items, but we recently got one we hadn’t seen before. This was Francis “Babe” D’Amico’s winter knit cap. As I was writing this, we received three more garrison caps from different time periods.
Historic Geneva welcomes materials from and about past organizations. If we have several of an item, we may not be able to accept duplicates due to space, but please contact us.