The following is a guest post from Iowa Heartland History Connection student volunteer, Simon Marble. Simon is currently a sophomore at Ottumwa High School.
Hello, my name is Simon Marble and this summer, I began to volunteer at the Iowa Heartland History Connection. I have strong interests in history and have enjoyed the time I’ve spent working here. One of my many hobbies is playing the violin. The violin I currently play was created here in Ottumwa by Ellis Newton.
The man who originally played the instrument was named Chet “Chick” Chidester, who eventually passed it down to my great uncle. From there, he gave it to his sister, my great aunt. Eventually, the violin made its way to a closet where it spent decades unused and deteriorating. My grandpa got a hold of it more recently in around 2021. He gave it to me because he knew about my interest in violin (I had played the instrument for about a year). I took it, but I was unsure of what to do with it because it was dirty, falling apart, and unplayable.
I took this violin to my next violin lesson where my teacher, Tom Shadonix, could inspect it and potentially repair it, so it could at the very least, be displayed. However he asked me if I wanted to fix the violin myself, and he would teach me the process of doing a repair such as this. I spent the next two months cleaning the instrument’s varnish, gluing the broken pieces, and repainting the instrument’s fingerboard until I had a working violin. We found after repairing the instrument that it was in very good condition, which allowed me to play it.
I played this violin in my school’s orchestra for rehearsals and concerts. Additionally, I participated in the Ottumwa Symphony Youth Orchestra for a time, which provided me with a great experience. In 4H, I had a State Fair performance with the violin where I played a video game music solo. In the end, I’m proud to own this violin and am glad to share the story behind it.
For more information on Ottumwa luthiers, read our previous blog post: Ottumwa Music Makers
See the Ottumwa Music Makers exhibit and many others at the Iowa Heartland History Connection, 1 Museum Dr. Ottumwa, IA 52501. Our hours are Wednesday – Friday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
