My Two Favorite THINGS In The Tanner House

These are the two items that I will miss the most from the Tanner House.

 

The Tanner House, House Museum

 

1857 Aurora, Illinois

 

So, this antebellum mansion had four bedrooms upstairs in the family area, and the master downstairs was created when William and Anna did not want to go up the 22 stairs. Let me tell you that I had to wear my knee brace because those stairs are tough when you walk them time and again during one day. So, I certainly would have felt for them! Don't let this photo fool you, the ceilings are very tall! The bottom story's ceilings are 14' high. Yikes!

Anyway, the room in the very front upstairs, which probably would have been the master before the Tanners took the bedroom downstairs has the most beautiful carpet. The carpet that is still there is originally from the time of the Tanners. It was made in rolls with the patterns matching up. I love it for the pattern.

 

This is about the width of one roll

Close up - Sort of

 

 

 

 

The next item that I will miss, is the item that I will miss the most. The Regina was the first type of music brought into the house mechanically. It is basically a huge music box. This one was donated from one of the Tanner great-grandchildren and was from about 1901. To give you an idea of cost, think of buying a car today cash only. They were for the very wealthy, not the every day Joe's family. The Tanner Regina stands about three feet tall (but I didn't measure it, so this is a guess from my new room in Murfreesboro). I would do anything to get the guests to listen to it! Believe me, this thing is LOUD, you can hear it throughout the house. So, when a docent was upstairs and I was in my office-The Sitting Room, I could hear the music plainly.

 

Front view of the Tanner Regina

Up close of the disk

The arm that supports the disk to the Regina. The disc is larger than the piece of furniture, so it bends (concave) and this arm keeps it to the fingers that reach up from the below that catch punches.

 

Here you can see the punch marks and how two of the ball bearings (on the right) of the rotating ball catch the holes on the perimeter of each disk make the disc rotate.

 

The Tanner House Regina (Yes, that's me talking)

Playing a John Philip Sousa March

 

 

You can visit The Tanner House Museum and the David L. PierceCenter in Aurora, IL. Here is their website http://www.aurorahistory.net/