For perhaps thousands of years, drums have been used to communicate messages. Drums can signal warnings, give commands, and even cry out for help.

The drum that Mitch Dissinger, vice president of the New Holland Area Historical Society (NHAHS) bought at auction to display with New Holland Band (NHB) artifacts in the NHAHS museum conveys a message as well. NHAHS board member Brian Frankhouser explained that drums are often used to identify a band. Displaying a number of post cards associated with small town bands, Frankhouser pointed out the importance of the drum. "The point is that in all these pictures, the only way to identify the band is by the (name) on the drum," he said. The drum Dissinger purchased is in no shape to be struck, but it bears the name "Bowmansville Band" with a picture of an eagle and a red, white, and blue shield. "They're not just a bunch of guys with instruments, but we discern who they are from the drum."

Frankhouser's post card collection identifies bands from around the county, including Akron, Churchtown, Christiana, Elizabethtown, and several areas near what is now Leola. "Leola was (made up of) three places," explained Frankhouser. "Leacock, Mechanicsburg, and Bareville." According to Frankhouser, the golden age of town bands is probably from the late 19th century to about 1920.

In the spring, when the New Holland Band Museum, founded by NHB member Art Futer in 1980, was absorbed into the NHAHS Museum, NHAHS board chair and band member Mike Ressler, along with Frankhouser, coordinated the effort to merge the two museums. Now, Ressler is looking back to an exhibit Futer originally organized about the Bowmansville Band to decipher clues about the community musicians. Ressler has a photo of the band from around 1904, but the drum in the photo is not the one Dissinger purchased. Frankhouser's research pointed to the band's origins around 1856, but the archives he researched do not actually reference the band until around 1876. Frankhouser suspects the drum was new to the band in the late 19th or early 20th century.

Dissinger first spotted the drum in a local antique shop prior to 2020. He talked to the NHAHS board about the item, and members expressed interest, but the drum was not for sale. Finally, on April 4, the drum became available in an online auction, and Dissinger was able to purchase it with funds from both NHAHS and NHB. NHAHS offered the drum to the Terre Hill Area Historical Society, which declined the instrument due to space concerns. The drum is not in good condition, but NHAHS plans to only stabilize the instrument to preserve it rather than restore it.

A small room adjacent to the Steve Loewen Community Room has been designated for NHB items. "This is pretty much a self-touring exhibit," said Ressler of the room where the drum will be on display. Also located in the room is information on the New Holland Boys Band, which was started by the New Holland Lions Club. The Boys Band was active from 1929 to 1936.

Ressler noted that the band exhibit will be open during regular NHAHS Museum hours, which are Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. No admission fee is charged to visit the museum. More information about NHAHS may be found at https://nhhistorical.com or by searching for "New Holland Area Historical Society" on Facebook.