1940s Bacon "Belmont" by Gretsch
Added 2022-03-25 13:00:10 +0000 UTCWhen the Great New England Hurricane of 1938 swept up the east coast it wiped out Fred Bacon's state-of-the-art banjo factory in Groton, Connecticut. By 1939 Gretsch was producing Bacon & Day banjos under license, and by the end of 1940 had bought the Bacon name as well.
This Bacon "Belmont" banjo was produced by Gretsch between 1946 and 1950 for Montgomery Ward, who offered it "with pick and instructions" for $75. Seventy-five U.S. dollars in 1949 was worth about $860 in today's money.
Lawrence Eller of Hiawassee, Georgia, with his 1940s Bacon "Belmont" banjo:
Willie Chapman of Lothair, Kentucky, with his 1950s "Belmont" banjo:
Comments
DAMN!
Clifton Hicks
2022-08-02 18:45:10 +0000 UTCMy grandfather had a Bacon Belmont he won in a card game. It was his most prized possession. Unfortunately, when he passed it was immediately lost. Most likely stolen by a family member and sold long ago..
Adam Akers
2022-08-02 07:49:33 +0000 UTCHuge DIY skatepark from the ‘90s brought me there originally. Now I gotta look for some Bacon banjo remnants
Matt Spears
2022-03-28 15:47:52 +0000 UTCIt was located on Thames St. It's backyard was the Thames River, so I see how it would have been destroyed in the '38 hurricane. I drive by there all the time when I go to Paul's Pasta. Excellent pasta if you're ever in the area.
Scott Jensen
2022-03-27 12:54:00 +0000 UTCIf anyone's interested, here's a Facebook post with a little more history about the Bacon Banjo Co. in Groton. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=3742951019096283&id=685269564864459
Scott Jensen
2022-03-27 12:51:53 +0000 UTC"Rotten Groton." 🤣
Clifton Hicks
2022-03-27 12:47:20 +0000 UTCVery cool. I work in Groton, CT and live in the next town over. I never knew banjos were made here. I'll have to do a little research and see if I can figure out exactly where the factory was. And yes, Groton rhymes with rotten. A lot of the Navy submariners who get stationed here call it rotton Groton.
Scott Jensen
2022-03-27 12:37:12 +0000 UTC"Really hit them Yankees hard". Lmao!!
Wesley Thornton
2022-03-26 20:12:29 +0000 UTCClifton, you looked like you were really happy and enjoying yourself in that video. It shown thru in your playing.
josh waller
2022-03-26 19:03:41 +0000 UTCThanks for that info, Caroline.
Clifton Hicks
2022-03-26 18:39:37 +0000 UTCMy family lived in Rhode Island, only a few miles from Groton, Connecticut when the un-named 1938 storm went through. Sunk my great grand uncle's (Charlie? Satterly) boat at the pier, the Arintha C, 40-50 foot long oyster boat, a dragger. Grew up seeing a model of it in my grandma's china cabinet. Groton CT is prononced grotten.... short o's. And the locals tend to call it "the '38 hurrricane"
Caroline Evans
2022-03-26 14:55:24 +0000 UTCAh, Clifton, you could make any banjo sound wonderful. Thanks for this one.
Brooks Martin
2022-03-25 23:44:07 +0000 UTCGreat mellow sound! A resonator and are they metal strings?
Daniel Pearce
2022-03-25 19:57:03 +0000 UTC
