More on an early Conn Sousaphone

The earliest Conn Sousaphone that we know for sure has survived the ravages of time is the one currently displayed at the Iowa Band Museum (see this post). It was built in 1899, and delivered to the A.O.U.W. Band of Cedar Falls, Iowa, on June 8 of that year, according to the Waterloo Daily Courier:

After playing around with it for a few weeks, they decided it was a keeper, as the newspaper reported:

While the valve cluster seems to be unique to this horn (again, see this post), I have to assume that the other specs are probably close to those of Conn's first Sousaphone, built just over a year earlier. Both had four valves, with the Iowa horn weighing between 32-37 pounds and with a the bell measuring 24-26 inches in diameter (curiously, the two accounts above don't agree on these details!).

Here's the earliest known photograph of that vintage Sousaphone:

Almost 10 years later, the Sousaphone was still going strong, as can be seen in this colorized photo of the band, supposedly from 1908 (back row, left of center):

In 1914, the band was under the direction of F. L. McCreary (and that may be him in 1908 as well), and the Cedar Falls Daily Record of December 3 that year produced a brief report on the band, which also said a few words about their prized possession, that early Conn Sousaphone.

The specs on the horn listed here are probably incorrect (or, at least, they are significantly different from what the earlier reports said), and, unless this is an entirely different Sousaphone, it was not "bought from Sousa," nor would it likely have cost $500, as the earliest Conn Sousaphones were apparently selling for around $250. But it's fun to read about this great old horn!