AURORA HOSTING SPECIAL EXHIBIT

Story by: Jon Bell

Date Published to Web: 2/4/2003

For the Canby Herald and Woodburn Independent Newspapers

Members of the original Aurora Colony were known for their simple, communal lifestyle. They tended to their farms, strove daily to live their Christian faith, and concerned themselves very little with material possessions or decorative gestures. But the 19th-century colonists did not live on daily routine alone.

According to the book, "Aurora, Their Last Utopia," some Aurorans spruced up their otherwise drab homes with hand-woven rugs, or a father might occasionally go out on a limb and buy a ribbon for a daughter's dress. The original colonists also were known to make their own spirits and sweet wines, as well.

And, before, during and after the existence of the original colony, Aurorans enjoyed playing and listening to music. In fact, the colony had two bands, three choirs, and a host of citizen musicians, all of whom added song to daily life in early Aurora.

"Music was a very important part of colony life," said Joan Jacobs, executive director of the Aurora Colony Historical Society. "One way for them to integrate into society was through music."

Some of the history of Aurorans' proclivity for music is now on display in the "Colony Music and New Acquisitions Exhibit" at the Old Aurora Colony Museum, 212 Second Street in downtown Aurora.

On exhibit are handwritten compositions and songbooks containing waltzes, marches, religious hymns, and slow polkas known as schottisches.

There are also photographs of some of the musical groups in 19th and early 20th century Aurora, which included the Aurora Band, the Pie and Beer Band, and the Giesy Orchestra. Jacobs said the organized groups were all male, but female colonists often sang and played instruments at home or during social gatherings.

Also part of the exhibit is a collection of original colony instruments, including a coronet, tuba, ophicleide -- the forerunner of the saxophone -- baritone, flute, piccolo, and clarinet.

Stringed instruments, among them a guitar, cittern, cello, hammer dulcimer, and a lute or mandolin, also are on display, as is a handsome 1870s music box.

The museum is also in possession of a Schellenbaum, or bell tree, which is believed to have come with the colonists when they left Bethel, Mo., and headed west in 1855.

Most of the instruments and other items in the exhibit were donated or are on loan from Aurora residents, many of whom are descended from original colonists, Jacobs said.

"As always, we are very fortunate that a great number of colony descendants still live in the area," she said. "We're very appreciative and very grateful for those people."

One of those descendants is George Kraus, who was born in the Kraus house on Nov. 5, 1920. The historic house is now part of the museum complex.

He and his wife, Helen, have donated several instruments to the museum. "We knew (the instruments) were in the band, and we knew this is where they belonged," George Kraus said.

In addition to their material contributions, the Krauses have shared a wealth of knowledge about music in Aurora, and Aurora history in general, with the museum for the current exhibit.

For example, Helen Kraus said the Aurora Band, which comprised about 25 members and performed at various graduation ceremonies, the Oregon State Fair, and other gala events, was well-known throughout the region for its musical prowess.

And George Kraus said the band won numerous music contests and often performed on the balcony of the Aurora Hotel to greet guests arriving by train. He also said the group was popular up into the 1920s, when musicians would play at Prohibition-era dances that often drew crowds of up to 3,000 people.

An interesting side note to the music exhibit in Aurora is that in the 1970s and 1980s, Dr. John Keil Richards, a musician in the Oregon Symphony, restored many of the colony instruments and assembled a group of musicians to make a recording of Aurora music. They also gave several performances on the instruments.

Though probably not related to Dr. William Keil, the original founder of the Aurora colony, Richards said he always had a knack for repairing instruments and he was drawn to the musical history of early Aurora.

"I was always amazed at the technical proficiency of those people," he said. "They had some composers out there who really knew what they were doing.

``And the music was part of the glue that kept the whole thing together.'' Richards, 85, also said he hopes to record some more of the Aurora music, and Jacobs said copies of the earlier recording sessions may be available for purchase at the museum soon.

The "New Acquisitions" part of the current exhibit includes textiles, trunks, clothing, quilts, and several pieces of furniture acquired by the museum.

The entire exhibit, which will run through June 30, was organized and set-up by Jacobs, Elizabeth Corley, who is the museum's volunteer coordinator, and a coterie of dedicated volunteers. Work, which began after Christmas, involved researching, unpacking and cleaning items, and setting up displays.

"The volunteers have been invaluable," Corley said. "We wouldn't have the exhibit to show without the volunteers."

Until April 14, the museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from 12 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Admission is $3.50 for adults, $3.00 for seniors and AAA members, and $1.50 for children ages 6-17.

For more information, call 503-678-5754.