Leedy Manufacturing Company

All sources submitted by applicant, unless otherwise noted.

[1] “Record of Births,” Hancock County Probate Court, Book 1 (1867-1875) (Findley, Ohio: Hancock County Probate Court), 9; R. L. Polk & Co.’s Indianapolis City Directory, for 1900 (Indianapolis: R. L. Polk & Co., 1900), 647; R. L. Polk & Co.’s Indianapolis City Directory, for 1902 (Indianapolis: R. L. Polk & Co., 1902), 642; R. L. Polk & Co.’s Indianapolis City Directory, for 1903 (Indianapolis: R. L. Polk & Co., 1903), 682; R. L. Polk & Co.’s Indianapolis City Directory, for 1904 (Indianapolis: R. L. Polk & Co., 1904), 691; R. L. Polk & Co.’s Indianapolis City Directory, for 1910 (Indianapolis: R. L. Polk & Co., 1910), 860; Polk’s Indianapolis (Indiana) City Directory, Volume LXXV, 1929 (Indianapolis: R. L. Polk & Co., 1929), 945; Polk’s Indianapolis (Indiana) City Directory, Volume LXXVI, 1930 (Indianapolis: R. L. Polk & Co., 1930), 908; Polk’s Indianapolis (Indiana) City Directory, Volume LXXVII, 1931 (Indianapolis: R. L. Polk & Co., 1931), 852, 1424, 1688; “Drum Factory in This City,” Indianapolis News, August 25, 1900, 10; “Leedy Company Boasts World’s Largest Drum Factory; Manufactures Nine Hundred Articles,” Indianapolis Sunday Star, May 19, 1929, 6, Newspapers.com; Rob Cook, “The Leedy Drum Company: History Part 1,” LeedyDrums.com; Jacob Piatt Dunn, Indiana and Indianans, Volume IV (Chicago and New York: American Historical Society, 1919), 1691-1692; David Haberstich, “Guide to the Leedy Manufacturing Co. Photographic Album,” Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center, 1986, 1-5.; “U. G. Leedy, Nationally Known as Drum Manufacturer, Dies,” Indianapolis Star, January 8, 1931, 9, Newspapers.com; “Drum Maker Dies at Indianapolis,” Muncie Evening Press, January 8, 1931, 3, Newspapers.com; Headstone of Ulysses Grant Leedy, November 4, 1919, David E. Steele, Indianapolis, Indiana; Leedy Family Plot, Crown Hill Cemetery, November 4, 1919, David E. Steele, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Ulysses G. Leedy’s birth on November 6, 1867 is recorded in the Hancock County Probate Court’s record of births. He was born to Isaac and Mary Leedy. The probate court recorded his name as “Ulysses B. Leedy,” but this was likely an error. Numerous newspaper articles, city directories, and real estate records (see footnote 3) indicate that his name is “Ulysses G. Leedy.” His role as an inventor and entrepreneur is documented well in newspaper articles, specifically from the Indianapolis News, and Indianapolis Star, as well as in his patent applications (see footnotes 2-4).

Leedy’s death was covered in newspapers throughout the state, including the Indianapolis Star, Muncie Evening Press, and Indianapolis Times. As the Star article noted, Leedy’s funeral services were conducted by Reverend George S. Southworth at 2:30pm on November 9, 1963. His burial at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis was also noted by each newspaper title. Additionally, the marker applicant submitted photographs attesting to his burial in Crown Hill Cemetery in the section mentioned above.

[2]R. L. Polk & Co.’s Indianapolis City Directory, for 1900 (Indianapolis: R. L. Polk & Co., 1900), 647; R. L. Polk & Co.’s Indianapolis City Directory, for 1902 (Indianapolis: R. L. Polk & Co., 1902), 642; R. L. Polk & Co.’s Indianapolis City Directory, for 1903 (Indianapolis: R. L. Polk & Co., 1903), 682; R. L. Polk & Co.’s Indianapolis City Directory, for 1904 (Indianapolis: R. L. Polk & Co., 1904), 691; R. L. Polk & Co.’s Indianapolis City Directory, for 1910 (Indianapolis: R. L. Polk & Co., 1910), 860; Polk’s Indianapolis (Indiana) City Directory, Volume LXXV, 1929 (Indianapolis: R. L. Polk & Co., 1929), 945; Polk’s Indianapolis (Indiana) City Directory, Volume LXXVI, 1930 (Indianapolis: R. L. Polk & Co., 1930), 908; Polk’s Indianapolis (Indiana) City Directory, Volume LXXVII, 1931 (Indianapolis: R. L. Polk & Co., 1931), 852, 1424, 1688; “The South Before the War,” Indianapolis Journal, August 31, 1892, 8, Hoosier State Chronicles; “City News Notes,” Indianapolis Journal, January 2, 1898, 6, Hoosier State Chronicles; “The Elks’ Minstrels,” Indianapolis Journal, February 13, 1898, 6, Hoosier State Chronicles; “German House Band Concert,” Indianapolis Journal, July 6, 1899, 3, Hoosier State Chronicles;  “Drum Factory in This City,” Indianapolis News, August 25, 1900, 10; “Musician’s Union Meets,” Indianapolis Journal, September 2, 1901, 8, Hoosier State Chronicles; “ Musical--Indianapolis,” Indianapolis News, January 18, 1902, 18, Hoosier State Chronicles; “Notice--Dissolution,” Indianapolis News, August 2, 1902, 13, Hoosier State Chronicles; “For Sale,” Indianapolis News, March 10, 1903, 9, Hoosier State Chronicles; “Leedy Company Boasts World’s Largest Drum Factory; Manufactures Nine Hundred Articles,” Indianapolis Sunday Star, May 19, 1929, 6, Newspapers.com; Jacob Piatt Dunn, Indiana and Indianans, Volume IV (Chicago and New York: American Historical Society, 1919), 1691-1692; David Haberstich, “Guide to the Leedy Manufacturing Co. Photographic Album,” Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center, 1986, 1-5; Leedy: Fifty Years of Drum Progress (Elkhart: C. G. Conn Ltd., 1945), 2, Indiana State Library Digital Collections.

The origins of the Leedy Manufacturing Company go back as far as 1890, when Ulysses G. Leedy built his first snare drum, according to the company’s 1945 product catalog. He had been a musician for many years, playing in bands and orchestras in Ohio and Indiana. His specialties, listed in a 1902 article in the Indianapolis News, were “drums, bells, and xylophone.” He received his first full-time musician role as a drummer with the Great Western Band in Cedar Point, Ohio, as chronicled by historian Jacob Piatt Dunn. Primary sources attest to his time as a musician. The July 6, 1899 issue of the Indianapolis Journal lists him as a member of the German House Band at the Musik-Verein in the capital city. A 1900 profile in the Indianapolis News on Leedy’s drum manufacturing business noted he was a “drummer at English’s Opera House.” Dunn’s biographical essay on Leedy confirms this as well, saying he served as a “trap drummer” for the opera house for ten years. Leedy also served as the secretary of the Indianapolis Musicians’ Protective Association, a union for musical performers, as listed in a September 2, 1901 issue of the Indianapolis Journal.

[3]Insurance Maps of Indianapolis, Volume II (New York: Sanborn-Perris Map Co., 1915), plan 159; R. L. Polk & Co.’s Indianapolis City Directory, for 1903 (Indianapolis: R. L. Polk & Co., 1903), 682; R. L. Polk & Co.’s Indianapolis City Directory, for 1904 (Indianapolis: R. L. Polk & Co., 1904), 691; R. L. Polk & Co.’s Indianapolis City Directory, for 1910 (Indianapolis: R. L. Polk & Co., 1910), 860; Polk’s Indianapolis (Indiana) City Directory, Volume LXXV, 1929 (Indianapolis: R. L. Polk & Co., 1929), 945; Polk’s Indianapolis (Indiana) City Directory, Volume LXXVI, 1930 (Indianapolis: R. L. Polk & Co., 1930), 908; Polk’s Indianapolis (Indiana) City Directory, Volume LXXVII, 1931 (Indianapolis: R. L. Polk & Co., 1931), 852, 1424, 1688; “Building Permits,” Indianapolis News, February 5, 1903, 11; “Indiana Gets Its Share,” Indianapolis Journal, February 7, 1903, 10, Hoosier State Chronicles; Indianapolis Star, June 16, 1919, 12; “Work of Factory Rushed,” Indianapolis Star, September 9, 1919, “Drum Factory to Enlarge Plant,” Indianapolis Times, September 17, 1920, 9, Hoosier State Chronicles; “65,000 Addition to Leedy Plant Planned,” Indianapolis Sunday Star, January 30, 1927, 17; “Plant Expansion Under Way Here,” Indianapolis Sunday Star, September 11, 1927, 25; “Band Instrument Companies Merge,” Indianapolis Star, August 5, 1929, 28; “Holcomb Firm Buys Property,” Indianapolis Star, November 24, 1936, 22; “Annie M. Jeck to Ulysses G. Leedy, December 30, 1902,” Marion County, Indiana Deed Book 354 (Indianapolis: Marion County Recorder’s Office, 1903), 94; “Ulysses G. Leedy to Leedy Manufacturing Company, February 16, 1903,” Marion County, Indiana Deed Book 356 (Indianapolis: Marion County Recorder’s Office, 1903), 146; “Ulysses G. Leedy to Marion County Auditor, January 2, 1902,” Marion County, Indiana Mortgage Record Book 108 (Indianapolis: Marion County Auditor’s Office, 1903), 134; “Leedy Manufacturing to Henry Beiser, May 12, 1903,” Marion County, Indiana Mortgage Record Book 428 (Indianapolis: Marion County Auditor’s Office, 1903), 65-66; “Leedy Manufacturing Company to Union Trust Company, November 6, 1911,” Marion County, Indiana Mortgage Book 108 (Indianapolis: Marion County Auditor’s Office, 1903), 134; “Leedy Manufacturing Company to J. I. Holcomb Manufacturing Company, December 9, 1936,” Marion County, Indiana Deed Book 960 (Indianapolis: Marion County Recorder’s Office, 1936), 440-444; Leedy: Fifty Years of Drum Progress (Elkhart: C. G. Conn Ltd., 1945), 2-4, Indiana State Library Digital Collections; David Haberstich, “Guide to the Leedy Manufacturing Co. Photographic Album,” Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center, 1986, 1-5.

The Leedy Manufacturing Company was formally incorporated on February 6, 1903, with Leedy, Charles B. Wanamaker, and Herman E. Winterhoff as its directors. The Indianapolis Journal reported on the incorporation the next day.

Leedy personally purchased the land for the original facility from Annie M. Jeck, who sold the land for $2,000, as documented in the deed from the Marion County Recorder’s Office. He then sold it to the newly incorporated Leedy Manufacturing Company for the same sum on February 16, 1903, with the intent to build the facility. Based on mortgage records, also from the Marion County Recorder’s Office, Leedy purchased the land with a $1,000 loan, while the rest likely came from his own finances. He also mortgaged $1,400 from Henry Beisler on May 12, 1903, which probably went towards construction of the building.

The original facility at the corner of Barth and Palmer is documented in Polk’s Indianapolis City Directory for 1903 and 1904, and its valuation was estimated at $3,000, according to the Indianapolis News. The addition in 1910 at 1601 Barth is documented in a 1915 Sanborn insurance map, which provides detail into what was housed inside. The first floor contained the office and showroom, the second its instrument making facilities, and the third its assembling and finishing facilities.

The Indianapolis Star announced what would become the 1920 expansion on June 16, 1919, “at an appropriate expenditure of $20,000.” Work began in earnest in the fall of 1919, under the auspices of the Hall-Curry Construction Company, with heating and plumbing completed by Cotton-Wiebke Company and the electrical wiring by Hatfield Electric Company, the Star reported. David Haberstich, in his description for the Smithsonian’s Leedy photograph collection, claimed that the original building was razed. A September 17, 1920 article in the Indianapolis Times confirms this claim. “The first building occupied by the company, on the present site, was a one-story brick building, 40 by 50 feet,” the Times wrote.

Further additions, estimated at $65,000, were announced in the Indianapolis Sunday Star on January 30, 1927, with the M. R. Curry Construction Company completing the work. Another $10,000 of additions were announced in the Sunday Star just months later on September 11, 1927. The claim of 78,450 square feet comes from the 1945 Leedy product catalog, while a figure of 75,000 square feet was published by the Indianapolis Star on August 4, 1929, in its article on the sale of Leedy to Conn and Buescher. In 1936, after the company moved its operations to Elkhart, Indiana, the facilities in Indianapolis were sold to J. I. Holcomb Manufacturing company, as reported in the Star and documented in a warranty deed from the Marion County Recorder’s Office.

[4] Ulysses G. Leedy, Drum-Stand, US Patent 624,662, filed December 16, 1898, issued May 9, 1899; Charles B. Wanamaker and Ulysses G. Leedy, Clamp for Drum Attachments, US Patent 849,517, filed July 18, 1906, issued April 9, 1907; Ulysses G. Leedy and Charles B. Wanamaker, Drum, US Patent 850,306, filed November 13, 1905, issued April 16, 1907; Ulysses G. Leedy and Charles B. Wanamaker, Rattle, US Patent 923,672, filed June 30, 1908, issued June 1, 1909; Charles B. Wanamaker, Clamp, US Patent 923,610, filed November 16, 1908, issued June 1, 1909; Herman Winterhoff, Percussion Musical Instrument, US Patent 967,477, filed March 1, 1909, issued August 16, 1910; Charles B. Wanamaker, Collapsible Xylophone-Stand, US Patent 967,471, filed February 26, 1910, issued August 16, 1910; Charles B. Wanamaker, Snare-Strainer, US Patent 1,011,533, filed December 27, 1910, issued December 12, 1911; Charles B. Wanamaker, Drum-Heater, US Patent 1,020,378, filed May 11, 1911, issued March 12, 1912; Charles B. Wanamaker, Drum, US Patent 1,031,032, filed November 15, 1911, issued July 2, 1912; Charles B. Wanamaker, Sleigh-Bells, US Patent 1,084,718, filed October 14, 1912, issued January 20, 1914; Charles B. Wanamaker, Collapsible Stand, US Patent 1,171,568, filed October 14, 1912, issued February 15, 1916; Charles B. Wanamaker, Retaining-Ring for Drum Covers, US Patent 1,084,719, filed October 14, 1912, issued January 20, 1914; Charles B. Wanamaker, Snare-Drum, US Patent 1,144,452, filed December 19, 1913, issued June 29, 1915; Charles B. Wanamaker, Xylophone-Stand, US Patent 1,256,279, filed April 12, 1917, issued February 12, 1918; Charles B. Wanamaker, Tensioning Device for Tympana, US Patent 1,269,984, filed December 9, 1916, issued June 18, 1918; Charles B. Wanamaker, Roller-Cord Hook, US Patent 1,292,545, filed October 29, 1917, issued January 28, 1919; Charles B. Wanamaker, Tension Bracket for Drums, US Patent 1,334,334, filed July 6, 1918, issued March 23, 1920; Herman E. Winterhoff, Musical Instrument, US Patent 1,304,435, filed March 27, 1916, issued May 20, 1919; Cecil H. Strupe, Bass Drum and Cymbal Beater, US Patent 1,445,650, filed July 11, 1921, issued February 20, 1923; Ulysses G. Leedy, Drum and Trap Combination, US Patent 1,456,242, filed August 5, 1921, issued May 22, 1923; Ulysses G. Leedy, Foot-Control Snare Control for Snare Drums, US Patent 1,458,905, filed July 11, 1921, issued June 12, 1923; Cecil H. Strupe, Tympano, US Patent 1,469,197, filed March 16, 1922, issued September 25, 1923; Cecil H. Strupe, Universal Trap Holder, US Patent 1,703,069, filed January 22, 1923, issued February 19, 1929; Cecil H. Strupe, Adjustable Stand, US Patent 1,561,371, filed January 22, 1923, issued November 10, 1925; Ulysses G. Leedy, Snare-Drum Stick, US Patent 1,472,397, filed January 22, 1922, issued October 30, 1923; Herman E. Winterhoff, Musical Bar, US Patent 1,632,751, filed January 22, 1923, issued June 14, 1927; Cecil H. Strupe, Snare Drum, US Patent 1,638,106, filed October 15, 1923, issued August 9, 1927; Cecil H. Strupe, Snare Strainer, US Patent 1,609,786, filed November 14, 1923, issued December 7, 1926; Cecil H. Strupe, Process of Forming Kettles and Die Therefor, US Patent 1,571,171, filed November 10, 1924, issued January 26, 1926; Cecil H. Strupe, Banjo, US Patent 1,653,593, filed October 28, 1925, issued December 20, 1927; Cecil H. Strupe, Snare Strainer, US Patent 1,724,888, filed February 23, 1926, issued August 13, 1929; Cecil H. Strupe, Banjo Neck Adjusting Means, US Patent 1,671,942, filed September 24, 1926; Cecil H. Strupe, Drum Pedal, US Patent 1,804,128, filed July 7, 1928, issued May 5, 1931, Cecil H. Strupe, Tympano, US Patent 1,755,569, filed April 4, 1929, issued April 22, 1930; Herman E. Winterhoff, Musical Instrument, US Patent 1,813,832, filed December 4, 1929, issued July 7, 1931; Cecil H. Strupe, Snare Drum, US Patent 1,828,083, filed September 20, 1929, issued October 20, 1931; Leedy Manufacturing Company, Drums and Drummers Accessories Catalog M (Indianapolis: Leedy Manufacturing Company, 1921), Indiana State Library Digital Collections; Leedy Manufacturing Company, Catalog R (Indianapolis: Leedy Manufacturing Company, 1928), Indiana State Library Digital Collections; Leedy: Fifty Years of Drum Progress (Elkhart: C. G. Conn Ltd., 1945), Indiana State Library Digital Collections; “Leedy Company Boasts World’s Largest Drum Factory; Manufactures Nine Hundred Articles,” Indianapolis Sunday Star, May 19, 1929, 6, Newspapers.com.

Ulysses G. Leedy filed his first patent on December 14, 1898, for a “drum-stand.” The stand’s unique improvement came from a design wherein the “compass” that a drum rested on could be folded up for easy transport when not in use. The patent was awarded on May 9, 1899. The Indianapolis News reported his patent on the same day.

Over the next 30-plus years, patents were awarded to Leedy, plan superintendent Cecil H. Strupe, company Vice President Herman E. Winterhoff, and founding co-director Charles B. Wanamaker. These included improvements to drums, drum accessories, drum and xylophone stands, musical instruments like the “Vibraphone” (more information can be found on point 5), timpani (more information can be found on point 7), and instruments for sounds effects in films.

One was “sleigh bells.” Charles B. Wanamaker filed his patent on October 12, 1912 and it was awarded on January 20, 1914. The innovation came from the way the bells were arranged. As the patent application notes, musicians had to use “an ordinary flexible string of bells” that were “practically impossible to handle” for musical purposes. Wanamaker developed a version with bells that rested on the top of a handle, so musicians had more control and would not make unnecessary noise.

[5] Ulysses G. Leedy, Drum-Stand, US Patent 624,662, filed December 16, 1898, issued May 9, 1899; Ulysses G. Leedy and Charles B. Wanamaker, Drum, US Patent 850,306, filed November 13, 1905, issued April 16, 1907; Charles B. Wanamaker, Drum-Heater, US Patent 1,020,378, filed May 11, 1911, issued March 12, 1912; Ulysses G. Leedy, Foot-Control Snare Control for Snare Drums, US Patent 1,458,905, filed July 11, 1921, issued June 12, 1923; Ulysses G. Leedy, Snare-Drum Stick, US Patent 1,472,397, filed January 22, 1922, issued October 30, 1923; Cecil H. Strupe, Snare Strainer, US Patent 1,724,888, filed February 23, 1926, issued August 13, 1929; Cecil H. Strupe, Snare Drum, US Patent 1,828,083, filed September 20, 1929, issued October 20, 1931; Leedy Manufacturing Company, Drums and Drummers Accessories Catalog M (Indianapolis: Leedy Manufacturing Company, 1921), 10-23, 28, 41, 52, Indiana State Library Digital Collections; Leedy Manufacturing Company, Catalog R (Indianapolis: Leedy Manufacturing Company, 1928), 3-8, 16-29, 37, 60,  Indiana State Library Digital Collections; Leedy: Fifty Years of Drum Progress (Elkhart: C. G. Conn Ltd., 1945), Indiana State Library Digital Collections; “Leedy Company Boasts World’s Largest Drum Factory; Manufactures Nine Hundred Articles,” Indianapolis Sunday Star, May 19, 1929, 6, Newspapers.com.

Leedy Manufacturing Company’s “chief products,” according to the Indianapolis Star, were “various kinds of snare, bass and tympana drums.” In 1907, Ulysses G. Leedy and Charles B. Wanamaker received a patent for their “snare drum,” which “improved means for attaching, adjusting, and manipulating the snares.” Snares are the long bunches of string-like elements that are below the snare drum, producing the snare’s unique sound. The company continued to file patents for snare drum improvements until 1931, when a patent for an improved snare design was awarded.

Details on the “drum-stand” are found in footnote 4.

A “drum-heater”, patented by Wanamaker in 1912, was a device that sat inside a drum to keep it from collecting too much moisture, which is detrimental. In 1923, Leedy patented a “foot-control snare control for snare drums.” This accessory allowed for hands-free playing of a snare drum by means of a connected foot pedal, “thus leaving his hands free at all times for manipulation of the drum sticks and other instruments,” according to the patent. That same year, Leedy also received a patent for a “snare-drum stick,” which could be used by players for both the snare drum and other percussion instruments in an orchestra or band setting. These products, along with many others, appeared in their 1921 and 1928 catalogs.

[6] Cecil H. Strupe, Process of Forming Kettles and Die Therefor, US Patent 1,571,171, filed November 10, 1924, issued January 26, 1926; “Leedy Company Boasts World’s Largest Drum Factory; Manufactures Nine Hundred Articles,” Indianapolis Sunday Star, May 19, 1929, 6, Newspapers.com; Leedy Manufacturing Company, Catalog R (Indianapolis: Leedy Manufacturing Company, 1928), 76-79, Indiana State Library Digital Collections.

Cecil H. Strupe, superintendent of the Leedy Manufacturing Company plant, filed his patent for a new timpani manufacturing process on November 10, 1924 and it was issued on January 26, 1926. The patent application describes what this new process entails. “The object of my invention,” Strupe writes, “is to produce by a single drawing and pressing operation. . . kettles for tympany [sic] from thin sheet copper or other suitable metal.” This process would improve production by eliminating “ineradicable wrinkles” from then-existing forms of one-sheet production. This process involved two components that sandwiched the sheet metal into the shape of a timpani, which reduced friction and eliminated wrinkles. A May 19, 1929 article from the Indianapolis Star provides additional detail on the process: “The sheet is placed in a hydraulic press, which exerts a pressure of 12,000 pounds a square inch. It required four years of experimenting to perfect the press.” The 1928 Leedy product catalog claimed that their timpani “are recognized by the great majority as the finest machine type timpani ever invented.”

[7] Herman E. Winterhoff, Musical Instrument, US Patent 1,304,435, filed March 27, 1916, issued May 20, 1919; Leedy Manufacturing Company, Catalog R (Indianapolis: Leedy Manufacturing Company, 1928), 80-81, Indiana State Library Digital Collections; Leedy: Fifty Years of Drum Progress (Elkhart: C. G. Conn Ltd., 1945), 6, Indiana State Library Digital Collections; “Fishing the Air,” Indianapolis Times, November 23, 1927, 11, Hoosier State Chronicles; “Leedy Company Boasts World’s Largest Drum Factory; Manufactures Nine Hundred Articles,” Indianapolis Sunday Star, May 19, 1929, 6, Newspapers.com.

The claim of Winterhoff’s start date for beginning his research on the vibraphone comes from the 1945 Leedy catalog, as a part of its history for the 50th anniversary. This year coincides with the date he filed his patent, March 27, 1916, for what was then described merely as a “musical instrument.” Winterhoff received patent approval on May 20, 1919.

As the Indianapolis Star wrote, the instrument is like the xylophone, in that its structure resembles horizontal metal bars, that are struck by sticks, with the sound resonating through tubes (called resonators) underneath the bars. What made the vibraphone unique was the resonators. The 1928 Leedy product catalog provides a description of the instruments process:

The vibrato of the steel bars is accomplished by electrically-operated rotating fans, one in each resonator. The speed control level on the motor (encased at the upper end of the instrument) enables the performer to set the speed of the vibrato to suit the character of the number being played— producing a true vox humano [sic] effect in the Steel Marimba.

“Vox humano” is a typo of “vox humana,” meaning the tone resembled the human voice, with “vibrato,” or cyclical shifts in pitch, as a central part of that resemblance.

The catalog also claims the vibraphone “serves as an artistic addition to any band or orchestra.” This seems evident by newspaper articles describing its use. For example, a November 23, 1927 article in the Indianapolis Times described a radio performance of the Sylvania Foresters, a four-men musical group that utilized the vibraphone in its repertoire, specifically as accompaniment for singers. The 1945 catalog also notes in its history that it “became a featured instrument in dance orchestras everywhere, and was used by leading stage, radio, and recording artists.”

[8]World’s Largest Drum, May 15, 1920, Bass Photo Company Collection, Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis, Indiana; Leedy Manufacturing Company, Drums and Drummers Accessories Catalog M (Indianapolis: Leedy Manufacturing Company, 1921), 5, Indiana State Library Digital Collections; Leedy Manufacturing Company, Catalog R (Indianapolis: Leedy Manufacturing Company, 1928), 73, Indiana State Library Digital Collections; Leedy: Fifty Years of Drum Progress (Elkhart: C. G. Conn Ltd., 1945), 5, Indiana State Library Digital Collections; “Musical Instruments Shown”, Indianapolis Times, June 29, 1921, 2, Hoosier State Chronicles; South Bend News-Times, June 30, 1921, 2, Hoosier State Chronicles; “Huge Bass Drum is Built Here,” Indianapolis Star, August 6, 1921, 4, Newspapers.com; “Purdue Band’s Big Drum,” Greencastle Herald, August 16, 1921, 4, Hoosier State Chronicles; “Purdue Band had 13 Members Way Back in ‘96,” Indianapolis Times, August 29, 1921, 12, Hoosier State Chronicles; “Purdue Band in Final Concert,” Lafayette Journal and Courier, May 27, 1922, 12, Newspapers.com; William R. Sanborn, “The Farm and the Farmer,” Richmond Palladium and Sun-Telegram, May 29, 1922, 3, Hoosier State Chronicles; “Band Concert,” Indianapolis Times, May 29, 1922, 7, Hoosier State Chronicles; “Giant Crowd Accumulates Surfeit of Racing Thrills,” Indianapolis Star, May 31, 1922, 1, Newspapers.com; “Big Purdue Drum Undergoes Repairs,” Lafayette Journal and Courier, June 1, 1922, 3, Newspapers.com; “History of the World's Largest Drum™,” Purdue University Drumline, http://www.purduedrumline.com/history.html.

Photographs, newspaper articles, Leedy product catalogs, and secondary sources from Purdue provide a clear picture of the early years of the “World’s Largest Bass Drum.” According to Purdue’s history, as well as an article in the Indianapolis Star, Paul Emrick, the director of Purdue’s band, spearheaded the idea. As drumheads at the time were made with animal skins, Leedy Manufacturing Company collaborated with Kingan & Co. (known for their talents in the butchering industry) to find the perfect drumheads.

Whether it was actually “the world’s largest bass drum” is subject to speculation. An August 6, 1921 article in the Indianapolis Star noted that it was “said to be the largest bass drum in the world,” but a June 30, 1921 article in the South Bend News-Times referred to it as “one of the largest bass drums in the world.” Regardless of whether it was actually the largest, its size was immense. The Star further reported that the drum was “seven feet three inches in diameter by forty-two inches in depth,” “stands nine feet six inches from the ground,” and consisted of 125 pieces. It was so big, in fact, that two men had to man it for parades on a chassis. Purdue engineering students also worked on designing a “special carriage” for its travel, according to the South Bend News-Times. In its 1921 product catalog, Leedy Manufacturing Company devoted a full-page spread to the “largest bass drum in the world,” with a photograph depicting the massive percussion instrument on its special, two-wheeled chassis.

Before its official performance schedule, the drum was displayed at major locations throughout Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Times noted that the drum “will be shown at the central [Indianapolis public] library some time in August” of 1921. The Indianapolis Star, in its profile on the bass drum from August 6, 1921, reported that “it will be on exhibition in the rotunda of the Statehouse beginning Tuesday and will be used for the first time at the state fair, Sept. 5 to 10.” A profile on the Purdue band ran in the August 29, 1921 article in the Times, where its state fair dates were also mentioned as the introduction of the new bass drum. “To give the band further distinction,” the Times wrote, “...the monster instrument will be used for the first time at the Indiana fair engagement.”

In 1922, the bass drum was used for two performances on Memorial Day weekend, in conjunction with the running of the Indianapolis 500. The first was a concert, held at the State Fair Coliseum on May 29, 1922. As the Lafayette Journal-Courier noted, “the big bass drum, the largest in the world, will be sent from the capital city on a special flat car and will be used in all concerts given by the band in Indianapolis.” The Richmond Palladium and the Indianapolis Times reported that the band consisted of “100 pieces.” On May 31, 1922, with the roar of the Indianapolis 500 around them, a 1,050-member band, of which Purdue was a part, performed in a parade, the Indianapolis Star printed. Repairs of the drum shortly after these performances were noted by the Lafayette Journal-Courier. “The hide on the drum had contracted much during the cold weather,” the Journal-Courier wrote, “and it was necessary to place steel bands around the drum to remedy the effect.”

In 1928, capitalizing on their success with Purdue, Leedy offered a retail version of “Leedy Giant Bass Drums” in their product catalog. “A Leedy Giant Bass Drum,” the advertisement declared, “will bring more publicity to an organization than any ‘stunt’ possible.” In 1945, celebrating its 50th anniversary, Leedy shared the story of the big bass drum in its history section of their product catalog. According to Purdue, the drum is still in use today, albeit with synthetic drumheads.

[9] “Letter from Ulysses G. Leedy to George H. Way,” January 18, 1922; “Leedy Company Boasts World’s Largest Drum Factory; Manufactures Nine Hundred Articles,” Indianapolis Sunday Star, May 19, 1929, 6, Newspapers.com; Polk’s Indianapolis (Indiana) City Directory, Volume LXXV, 1929 (Indianapolis: R. L. Polk & Co., 1929), 945; “Leedy Manufacturing Company, in Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, David J. Bodenhamer and Robert G. Barrows, eds. (Bloomington & Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1994), 902-903.

Polk’s Indianapolis City Directory for 1929 as well as a May 19, 1929 article in the Indianapolis Sunday Star confirms their address at 1033 E. Palmer Street. The factory was a “new three-story building” at the time of the Star article. As for distribution, a January 18, 1922 letter to George H. Way from Ulysses G. Leedy confirms this partnership. In the letter, Leedy asks Way, who in letterhead is named as a representative of the “Advance Drum Company,” if he would like to be a sales manager for the Leedy Manufacturing Company. This partnership is confirmed by the aforementioned article in the Star: “The Leedy Company, which was founded in 1897, ships its products to all parts of the world. It had a distributing agency in Toronto, Canada, known as the Advance Music Company.” The only discrepancy between the letter and the article is that Advance was located at Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1922 and in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1929. This change likely came because of the developing a business relationship with Leedy.

The claim that it is the world’s largest drum factory comes from the 1929 Star article, with Indianapolis “boasting” about having the world’s largest factory. Additionally, the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis writes that “the firm considered itself the world’s largest manufacturer of percussion instruments.”Based on the sources, it is unclear whether it is the largest, so it is likely that it was one of the world’s largest.

Leedy Manufacturing’s involvement with early “talkie” films is reported in a May 19, 1929 issue of the Indianapolis Star. As examples, they used a timpani along with an “electric motor rotating a series of straps” to reproduce the sounds of an airplane and a series of whistles for bird sounds.

[10] “Band Instrument Companies Merge,” Indianapolis Star, August 4, 1929, 28, Newspapers.com; “Leedy Company, of Indianapolis, to Enter Into Merger,” Richmond Palladium-Item, August 3, 1929, 7, Newspapers.com; “Music Concerns Enter Merger,” South Bend Tribune, August 2, 1929, 11, Newspapers.com; “Employment Increased by State Firms,” Indianapolis Times, June 13, 1930, 15, Hoosier State Chronicles; “Pechin’s Stocks Instruments for Children,” Orlando Sentinel, September 12, 1955, 10, Newspapers.com; Leedy: World’s Finest Drum Instruments, Catalog 33 (Chicago: Slingerland Drum Company, 1933), DrumArchive.com;  Leedy: Fifty Years of Drum Progress (Elkhart: C. G. Conn Ltd., 1945), 5, Indiana State Library Digital Collections; Leedy & Ludwig Drums, Catalog 53 (Elkhart: C. G. Conn Ltd., 1953), DrumArchive.com; Leedy Drums with the New Sound Timpani and Accessories, Catalog 58 (Chicago: Slingerland Drum Company, 1958), DrumArchive.com; Leedy Drums and Accessories, Catalog 70 (Chicago: Slingerland Drum Company, 1965), DrumArchive.com; David Haberstich, “Guide to the Leedy Manufacturing Co. Photographic Album,” Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center, 1986, 1-5; Rob Cook, “The Leedy Drum Company: History Part 3,” LeedyDrums.com.

Details of the merger were shared in an August 4, 1929 article in the Indianapolis Star. While Conn and Buescher owned Leedy, “each of the companies will retain its separate corporate identity and will continue with its independent operation.” Years later, in a 1945 Leedy catalog, the acquisition was described in a history of the company. The only difference in the account was that the Conn company was named “C. G. Conn Ltd.” That same catalog also noted that “in 1930 the Leedy factory and personnel were moved to Elkhart, Indiana.” Announcement of the move from Indianapolis to Elkhart was printed in the Indianapolis Times. “The Leedy Manufacturing Company, Indianapolis drum making firm” the Times wrote on June 13, 1930, “will be moved here [Elkhart] this summer. About fifty employees and their families will be transferred. The annual business of the company is about $1,000,000.” By 1933, as indicated by one of its product catalogs, the entire business resided in Elkhart.

Leedy Drum Company’s history after 1955 is rather complicated. David Haberstich’s collection description for the Smithsonian’s Leedy photograph collection claims that Leedy ceased manufacturing in 1958. However, Rob Cook, author of the history of Leedy drums, claims that Slingerland Drum Company purchased the Leedy brand in 1955 and continued manufacturing drums under said brand until 1965. Primary sources indicate that Cook’s claim is likely the accurate one. An article in the Orlando Sentinel on September 12, 1955 noted that “Slingerland continues to make the fine Leedy & Ludwig drums plus their own complete line.” Three additional Leedy catalogs also indicate that Cook’s claim is accurate. In 1953, the Leedy & Ludwig Drum Company catalog was published out of Elkhart, Indiana, but the 1958 and 1965 Leedy Drum catalogs were published out of Chicago, where Slingerland was manufacturing at the time. Cook’s history, along with the Leedy Drum Company website, noted that production of Leedy drums was discontinued after 1965. In 1994, Fred Gretsch purchased Slingerland Drum Company, which came with the Leedy trademarks and patents. In 2003, Leedy drums were again manufactured but it is unclear what has happened with the brand since.