debence antique music world

My brother and I visited the museum when we were vacationing in Cook Forest. This was a great day trip. From the outside the museum does not look like much. We entered a bit late in the day and werent sure if we would tour. But once we spent some time putting coins in the player pianos and calliopes in the basement we were excited to tour the rest of the collection. Totally worth it! The collection of music boxes, record players, organs and musical extravaganzas was fairly mindblowing. Most are in great working order. It was great fun getting blown away by the sound of the massive machines that once graced amusement parks. Wonderful historic value. So fun!

DeBence has a collection of antique mechanical music devices. It features 150 year old music boxes, 100 year old record players, player pianos, and nickelodeons. These are typically beautiful examples in fine condition, and they are played for you on the tour. But the stars of the museum are the larger and louder antique orchestreons which simulate a band! The basement, which you can tour on your own, features several antique juke boxes you can play in addition to antique radios. DeBence is located in the pretty and historic town of Franklin, which is full of victorian homes and near other sites of interest.

This non-profit museum is a great place to learn about mechanical music (music boxes, victrolas, calliopes) from the 1800's and early 1900's. The volunteer tour guides are very knowledgeable and they play many of the pieces in the collection during the tour-even the one-of-a-kind items. The collection also includes tiffany lamps, dolls, and collectables from the same era. We spent approximately an hour and a half and didn't see the entire collection. The museum is housed in the old GC Murphy store and the building itself is very interesting because of its wood floors and tin/plaster ceilings. This is a great place to spend a few hours if you're interested in learning how music was played by your ancestors!

Surprisingly interesting. Alot of time,dedication and a true appreciation of the hard work and technical abilities of the true craftsmen that shaped our world. The displays show the intricate, hand made inner workings of musical instruments from days gone past. We really enjoyed the guided tour. A must see when you visit this charming town.

Great collection of more than 250 antique mechanical musical instruments. First floor is a guided tour. The second floor and basement you tour on your own. Well worth the $7.00 for Seniors. You will not be disappointed!

We have been here a few times over the years. As professional musicians, we always seek out places like this and have been in similar museums in England, Germany, Michigan, Maine and other places. This one certainly holds its own against the others. The guide was thorough and very knowledgeable. She allowed us to set our own pace and played many of the machines and instruments. The collection is huge. The tour takes place on the first floor and includes music boxes, gramophones and calliopes (among other items). The 2nd floor and the basement are also chock full and you can wander around those two floors on your own. The repair shop is on the 2nd floor and you can see right in. Extremely friendly people. There is a small shop with old sheet music, recordings and musical themed gifts. Franklin is a lovely little town and there are numerous small shops and restaurants on the same street as the museum. We like to go down for the day.