In 1896, “Miss Columbia” was donated to Weis Library in Millcreek Township, by the Shaw Piano Company, which operated from 1890-1901 in Erie, PA. The fine instrument had been designed by Philadelphia art school students for display in the Pennsylvania building at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition (Chicago World’s Fair). The piano was said to be doubly veneered of fine birdseye maple and crafted with superior interior workmanship. The upper panel of the piano contained a circular casting featuring the image of Christopher Columbus. The warranty for the piano had been signed by Matthew Griswold, who was also the founder of the famous Griswold Manufacturing Company, maker of cast iron cookware and other household items.
After the Exposition in Chicago, the Shaw company lent the piano out as a promotional piece to various dealers for display in their store windows. An 1894 Scranton newspaper advertisement read, “Miss Columbia has arrived and may be interviewed in the window of Stelle & Seeley, 134 Wyoming Ave. This piano was manufactured for the Chicago Exposition. Come and hear it.”
Piano Finds New Home at Weis Library
In addition to Chicago, Miss Columbia’s travels took her to places like St. Louis, Missouri; St. Paul, Minnesota; Rochester and Buffalo, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; and Philadelphia, Reading, Scranton, and Williamsport in Pennsylvania, before the Shaw Piano Company delivered her to Weis Library. According to a 1966 Erie Times-Newsarticle, Henry J. Raymore, Shaw Piano’s secretary, had said 70 years prior, “we part with Miss Columbia with a certain amount of sadness, yet at the same time, we are more than delighted to know where she will make her residence. And we certainly send with our very best wishes and hope she will continue to fulfill the mission for which she was originally manufactured.”
In her new home at Weis Library, Miss Columbia nicely settled into her role. The piano was played at recitals, piano lessons were given, and the instrument was also available for practice. Over time, however, her value dwindled in many of the minds of those she had been entrusted to, just as had happened to the library itself. A 1962 article mentioned the “once busy” meeting room and that the piano on the stage that hadn’t been tuned in 17 years.
Weis Library opened in 1896, having been built with funds from the estate of a local farmer, John Weis, who greatly valued education and wanted to give residents access to knowledge and a sense of community. By 1966, the library had closed due to lack of funding, and the piano was to be sold along with the contents of the building.
To Miss Columbia‘s Rescue
Ester Bundy (1925-2004), who had organized the Save Weis Library group, and Ralph Hammer (1927-2018), a fellow Weis Library United Methodist Church member, formed a committee that raised money to purchase the piano, recondition it, and donate it to the new Millcreek Branch of the Erie County Library system. The left over balance was to be used for refurbishing, rebinding, and restoring the books and memorabilia that had been donated to the Erie County Library from the Weis Library collection.
Each of the donors to the piano fund received a commemorative card containing images of both the piano and the library, drawn by Erie County commercial artist Vega M. Ihsen (1919-1998).
A May 1966 article in The Erie Story, stated that Miss Columbia’s beauty had not faded over the years. “She is doubly veneered of glowing, satiny birdseye maple, and is decorated with delicate wood carving and fluted molding. Her tone is as fine as that long ago year when Matthew Griswold, Shaw president, signed the warranty.” The article added, “Miss Columbia, a visual reminder of county industry’s interesting past may be seen—and heard—in Millcreek Municipal Building. The industrial community owes a debt of thanks to a small community’s group of residents with gumption enough to thump for their own piano—and who were willing to put their money where their heart was!”
(Courtesy: Elena Horwath)
Miss Columbia received a warm welcome to its new home, thanks to those who had tried to save the library. At an open house held at the Millcreek Municipal Building, Harold Oliver, grandnephew of John Weis, introduced her to “friends and relatives she [hadn’t] seen for over 50 years.” Descendants of John Weis played the newly tuned instrument.
Author’s Note: In my youth, I visited the Millcreek branch of the Erie County Library many times, but I do not clearly remember seeing a piano there. Another portion of my memory tells me I saw it at the end of the hallway near the staircase.
Returned, So She Would Always Remain in Millcreek . . .
One source said they saw the piano at Griswold Plaza long ago. Perhaps this is why on February 18, 1976, the Erie County library trustees considered the request of Norman Hammer (Ralph’s son) and the Millcreek supervisors that Miss Columbia be returned to Mr. Hammer to assure that it would always remain in Millcreek. A motion was made and seconded, and it was carried.
It seems that at one point, Miss Columbia found a home at Weis Library United Methodist Church. Perhaps it went straight from Erie County Library to the church. At least one person reported having played it there.
Weis Library United Methodist Church held its last service in the spring of 2026. Inquiries to the area Methodist church officials have been unsuccessful, mainly because they are in the middle of their five-year pastor shuffle. One source said the church had been seeking to sell the piano for $250, and another said it was sold to a New York museum. So much for keeping it in Millcreek, if that’s true.
The case of the missing piano is yet another example of donor intent not being remembered or respected, as in the case of Weis Library.
Can We Find Miss Columbia?
Where is Miss Columbia today? It’s currently a mystery. Do you remember seeing it at the Millcreek Branch of the Erie County Library in the Municipal Building? At Griswold Plaza? At Weis Library United Methodist Church? Anywhere? Anyone?
If you have information, please leave a comment below.
(Courtesy: Erie County Historical Society)
