The History of Our Band

Continuing a tradition that began around 1826, the Lowville Village Band is celebrating its 200th anniversary with our “concert in the park” series. The Lowville Village Band is one of the oldest bands in the United States; second only to the Allentown Band from Allentown, PA. The Lowville Village Band, originally referred to as the “Union Band” reformed into the Lowville Saxhorn Band in 1856. The saxhorn band consisted of 10 men, and all instruments were carried on their backs at each event. The band would travel and perform at different events throughout New York and Canada. Some locations included Alexandria Bay, Watertown, Utica, and Albany. Performances would take place on steamboats, in parades, during festivals, at village block dances, and at private events. The band continued providing music through the spring of 1863, but activity dwindled during the height of the Civil War. The band reformed again in 1867, after the Civil War, as the “Lowville Cornet Band”. The reformation came back stronger than ever. The band gained the attention of a generous local man named Francis K. Leonard. Mr. Leonard provided the band with monetary donations and purchased silver instruments for the musicians. The band was renamed in Mr. Leonard’s honor that same year as “The Leonard Silver Cornet Band”. In 1871 the band’s iconic band wagon was sold at auction as the band expanded and was renamed “The Lowville Cornet & Orchestra Band”. The band would rehearse in the Walsh Furniture Block, the 3rd floor of the Lennox Block, and in the Lowville Fire Department that was erected on Dayan Street in 1870. The first accounts of the band being referred to as the “Lowville Village Band” was in the 1930s after receiving yearly monetary support from the village.

Fun Facts

Prohibition created unusual hardships:

• Alcohol was used to keep valved instruments from jamming up in cold weather. The musicians resorted to using free samples of anti-freeze during the winter months.

Spreading the gift of music through education:

• The Lowville Academy Band was founded in 1928 by former band director, Luther B. Askin

The Lowville Village Band and the “Wild West”

• Former band director, Franklin Thompson was acquainted with William Frederick Cody, “Buffalo Bill”. As a symbol of friendship, Mr. Thompson was gifted with an inscribed silver cornet. The cornet is safely kept at the Lewis County Historical Society.

Our Directors

For 200 years, the Lowville Village Band has been under the leadership of many talented
musicians. These are our leaders:

E. M VanAkin (1857), Leon Durez (1866), Prof. George Barnum (1867), J. A. Morrison (1869), Spencer Lane (1871), Robert McCrossen (1882), Franklin Thompson (1884), Robert Dent (1870), H. Maxwell (1906), Vincent Irollie “Gramp” (1906), Thomas
Broadfield (1907), Valentino Martone (1907), Luther B. Askin (1908), Pearl Johnson (1932), Alfred Peters (1958), Kent Washburn, Arthur Pryor, Carl Eagen, Lionel Snave, Joe Skowyra, Francis Leonard, Henry Ayers, Beny “BA” Rolfe, John Cataldo, Millard Chamberlain (1975), AJ McCall (2008), Kelly Kilcer (2016)

*Current Directors