Peghead banjo handcrafted by a Black musician in southern WV

Archive Reference: GM S1198

Description: Early 1930s 5-string peghead banjo handcrafted by a Black musician from southern WV. The instrument, constructed from carnation condensed milk cans glued to a wooden box, was acquired from the Gospel Hill section of Lewisburg by Jim Costa.

Photographed by: Gerry Milnes

Date: August 1991

Location: Summers County, WV

The Milnes Collection contains audio-visual recordings made and collected by the Augusta Heritage Center’s former Folk Arts Coordinator, Gerald Milnes. Throughout his career with Augusta, Milnes conducted field work to amass a large collection of photographs, oral histories, music, and event recordings. He recorded the bulk of the collection from the early 1970s to 2013, but the collection also includes tapes and photographs with earlier dates that others sent to him.

Categories: Milnes Collection Photography, Traditional Music
Tags: #banjo, #Black Musicians, #canjo, #GospelHill, #instrumentcollections, #JimCosta, #Lewisburg, #OldTime, #Storytelling

Leave a Reply

Shopping Cart