Photos by Tony Valainis
THIS INSTRUMENT was found in a settlement near Bath County, Kentucky, by Peter Hendricks when he was a mere 2 years old. Hendricks moved with his family to Franklin, Indiana, in Johnson County, where he eventually handed down the prized possession to his son Lewis, born in 1795. Lewis grew up to become a wealthy music teacher and accomplished musician. The violin’s first female heir in more than 100 years was Lewis’ great-niece, Opal B. Wood, who passed it on to her niece, Juley Smoyer Scharer, in the 1970s. Scharer donated it to the Johnson County Museum of History in 2001, where it remains today. The 226-year-old specimen originates from the famous violin-making workshops of Germany’s Saxony region. The body is maple and spruce, with the original varnish still on its back and sides.
Vintage: 1798
Resides at the Johnson County Museum of History
