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Walter Miller Hourglass [Dulcimer], West Virginia
This instrument was made by Walter Miller of Tioga, West Virginia, in 1992.
Leonard Glenn [Dulcimer], Sugar Grove, NC
David Schnaufer's handwritten tag attached to this dulcimer reads "Schnaufer/Leonard Glenn/1977/Sugar Grove/N.C. A piece of paper glued to the interior of the back inside the soundbox and undertneath the sound hole in the lower bout has a signature…
Jethro Amburgey Dulcimer, Hindman, KY
This instrument was built in 1970 by Jethro Amburgey of Hindman, Kentucky. An inscription in cursive handwriting incised into the strum hollow of the fretboard reads: "Jethro Amburgey/Hindman, Key./10-20-70/#1165. Its hourglass shape is virtually…
Hex Dulcimer, KY/WV
This instrument was purchased by David Schnaufer in 1994 from an unnamed woman who had purchased it in Ashland, Kentucky. The maker, date, and place are unknown, but a possible "mate" to this instrument is held at Davis & Elkins College in Elkins,…
German Scheitholt
This scheitholt appears to be an early 19th-century instrument, and is an exemplar of the predecessor to the Appalachian dulcimer. The fretboard and the body are the same, with frets extending down only one side of the instrument, the remaining…
Fraley Plywood [Dulcimer], Eastern Kentucky
David Schnaufer purchased this hourglass-shaped dulcimer from A. Fraley of Kentucky in 1989. It was most likely made in the early 20th century.
Fiddle-shaped Dulcimer, Kentucky/West Virginia
This modified hourglass dulcimer was acquired by David Schnaufer in July 2003 via Ebay. Its previous owner was located in Northern Illinois.
Bowed Dulcimer, by Sylvan James, Gass[a]way, West Virginia
This instrument was built in 1969 by Sylvan James of Gassaway, WV. In Gerald Milnes's 1999 book Play of a Fiddle, James is described as a "pre-Revival Braxton County dulcimer maker, Lower Mill Creek."
[Wayne County Dulcimer #2]
The current owners bought this instrument around 1978 from Bill Spencer in Wayne County. Its previous history is unknown. This dulcimer appears to be a primitive (homemade) instrument.
[Wayne [Hardin] County Dulcimer #1]
The current owner purchased this instrument from one Ocie Burns in Waynesboro in 1988. Her grandmother, Sara Josephine Ford Pulley, had had it, and it was probably made by her father, John Ford, who was living in Hardin County at the time. It was…
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"Barlow Knife"
This old-time fiddle tune is known either as "Barlow Knife" or as "Cabin Creek." The lyrics are typically presented as follows: I been livin' here all…