Camp Banjolele

sheyfey · Oct 21, 2019

We have two banjolele from 1920's, still in good shape and with their original bags. Just wanting some info on them other than what we have found out from family.

Googled one of the names (Jack Longstreth) etched on the head and found out he had been a lawyer that took a case to the supreme court but since the names are very old or dead people google was no real help. All the etchings on the heads had to be friends of the two young girls that owned the banjolele's. Amy & Helen Sundermann. We are guessing they were about 15 or so in the years they went to Camp Shawnee. They are our adopted mom's mother and aunt.

Blogged about it here.
https://www.hartyrr.com/2019/10/matching-mays-bangoleles.html

I will attach the photo's here, if you need more photos let me know what you need to see and I can take better shots.

Jerryc41 · Oct 21, 2019

Very nice! ...

DPO · Oct 21, 2019

Possibly made by Roland.

river_driver · Oct 22, 2019

I think they're both Harmonys. Check here (https://jakewildwood.blogspot.com/p/museum.html), scroll down ~halfway down til you get to banjo ukuleles made by Harmony. These are called California-style (or Cali) banjoleles. Oscar Schmidt made some of this general style as well, but the details here look like Harmony.

Can you post a pic of the headstock of the blonde one, and the backs of both?

(Gotta say...that KKK inscription has me scratching my head.)

sheyfey · Oct 22, 2019

We were worried about the kkk inscription but after looking at all the funny photos, saying, memory type etchings... we feel like it was more of a ha ha ha shortcut than anything sinister. Also, these were young girls in the 20's having a fun time at summer camp in Pennsylvania. They were not raised by anyone that would have had anything to do with the kkk as we know it today.

Here are more photos. We have the strings a little loose since we are displaying them on a high shelf in our music store.

sheyfey · Oct 22, 2019

One more photo of the back of the darker one.

sheyfey · Oct 22, 2019

So in looking at the Harmony banjoleles, the headstocks are not scalloped at the top like the two I have. Neither of these banjoleles look like a back was ever attached. The glossy paint is unmarred and still consistently shiny. I'm gonna look through the links on the history blog and see if the headstock shows up in any of these brands. I love that someone has them all listed. What a huge amount of history.

Edit.
So this uke really matches both of our ukes.
https://jakewildwood.blogspot.com/2018/01/1920s-schoenhut-california-style-banjo.html
Especially how the back is a carved circle with a screw to hold the neck on. The headstock fits too.

Ziret · Oct 22, 2019

Those are fantastic. It looks like they spent more time decorating than playing them! KKK could conceivably be someone's initials. That's the story I'd go with if they were mine.

Jerryc41 · Oct 22, 2019

Ziret said:
Those are fantastic. It looks like they spent more time decorating than playing them! KKK could conceivably be someone's initials. That's the story I'd go with if they were mine.

Looking online, it doesn't look like that organization used periods after each K - just the three letters. Some people have the initials K. K. K.
http://peoplebyinitials.com/?q=KKK

sheyfey · Oct 22, 2019

Found this on google. https://sites.google.com/site/ukulelemakers/rst/schoenhut

It all kinda fits. Philadelphia, PA, Schoenhut.... Other than the Liberty Bell insignia. We don't have those. Maybe old Mr Schoenhut made them for Globe? What an interesting find.

Jerryc41 · Oct 22, 2019

sheyfey said:
Found this on google. https://sites.google.com/site/ukulelemakers/rst/schoenhut

It all kinda fits. Philadelphia, PA, Schoenhut.... Other than the Liberty Bell insignia. We don't have those. Maybe old Mr Schoenhut made them for Globe? What an interesting find.

Baz did a review of that Flea imitation, and it wouldn't lead people to run out and buy one.
https://www.gotaukulele.com/2014/03/schoenhut-oak-mahogany-ukulele-review.html

sheyfey · Oct 22, 2019

Yep, they aren't anything great, just old and an interesting bit of our family history.

Camp Banjolele

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