Finding Aid for William Herb Papers, Sousa Band Uniform and Travel Trunk, 1924-1980 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

By Adriana Cuervo, Tracy Parish, Raquel Flores-Clemons, Jana Kelly, Jared Lofrano, Kimberly Sessoms, Florence Paisey, and Scott Schwartz

Service Location	Boxes
Archives Research Center, 1707 S. Orchard Street	2008.1209102.004A - Trunk
SACAM, Band Building, 1103 S. 6th Street	2008.1209102.004B - Music Stand
SACAM, Band Building, 1103 S. 6th Street	Box 1
SACAM, Band Building, 1103 S. 6th Street	Box 2
Archives Research Center, 1707 S. Orchard Street	Box 3

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Collection Overview

Title: William Herb Papers, Sousa Band Uniform and Travel Trunk, 1924-1980

ID: 12/9/102

Primary Creator: Herb, William (1879-1939)

Extent: 3.6 cubic feet

Arrangement: The collection is organized in 2 series: Series 1, Photographs and Digital Images, ca. 1924-1936, is arranged in 4 subseries: Train Wrecks, Band Members and Musicians, Sousa Band, and Artifacts and Ephemera. Digital images have been placed at the end of each subseries. Series 2, Artifacts and Ephemera, ca. 1924-1980, includes concert programs, newsclippings, Herb's band uniform, travel trunk and music stand.

Date Acquired: 01/10/2006. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: Band Musicians, Bands, Concert tours, Photography, Railroad Accidents, Sousa, John Philip

Formats/Genres: Clothing and Textiles, Other Pictorial, Uniforms

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Consists of black and white photographs, including digital images; news clippings; concert programs; and Herb's band uniform, travel trunk, and music stand, documenting William Herb's career as a musician in the Sousa Band and Allentown Band. Of particular interest are original photographs and digital images documenting three different railroad accidents that the Sousa Band was involved in while on tour. In addition, many of the images illustrate the band members' leisure activities when not performing. William Herb's travel trunk, used throughout his time with the Sousa Band, contains numerous original travel stickers collected by Herb from hotels that the Sousa Band stayed in while on tour in both the United States and Europe.

Biographical Note

William Herb (1879-1939) was born in Bechtelsville, PA. A self-trained tubist, he began performing Pottstown as a child. He played tuba for the John Philip Sousa Band between 1924 and 1932. In addition, Herb was also a member of the Allentown Band from 1904 to c.1930, and continued to be involved with the organization following his tenure. According to an interview with Herb, he had never formally studied music but had played the tuba since the age of seven. In 1924 he stopped to hear Sousa perform at Willow Grove Park and after the concert he was told by a member of the ensemble the he was just the tuba player for Sousa. Herb remained with the Sousa Band until Sousa's death. Herb died in Allentown, PA in 1939.

Subject/Index Terms

Band Musicians
Bands
Concert tours
Photography
Railroad Accidents
Sousa, John Philip

Administrative Information

Repository: The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Accruals: A small selection of original photographs, a Sousa Band uniform (i.e., trousers and hat), a music stand and a travel trunk belonging to William Herb were donated on June 1, 2008 as part of Gary Herb's estate by Michael Denofrio.

Acquisition Source: Gary Herb

Acquisition Method: Gift.

Processing Information: Processed in July 2008.

Finding Aid Revision History: Finding Aid information revised July 17, 2008.

Other Note: Many of the digital images were acquired as low resolution scans, and may not be suitable for some forms of reproduction.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Photographs and Digital Images, 1924-1936],
[Series 2: Artifacts and Ephemera, 1924-1980],
[All]

Series 1: Photographs and Digital Images, 1924-1936

Sub-Series 1: Train Wrecks

Box 1: 1924-1980

Folder 5: Train Wrecks, 1929: Folder includes original prints of items 6, 16, 18, 19, and 20 found in Electonic Folder 1, and items 90 and 96 found in Electronic Folder 2.

Electronic Folder 1

Item 1: Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 2: Sousa Band member (Unidentified), Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 3: Sousa Band members (Unidentified), Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 5: Train wreck possibly near Rochester, NY, ca. 1920s
Item 6: Sousa Band members (Unidentified), Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 7: Sousa Band members standing in front of Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 8: Sousa Band members (Unidentified), Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 9: Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 10: Sousa Band members (Unidentified), Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 12: Sousa Band members (Unidentified), Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 13: Sousa Band members (Unidentified), Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 14: Sousa Band members (Unidentified), Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 15: Sousa Band members, Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 16: Sousa Band members (Unidentified), Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 17: Sousa Band members (Unidentified), Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 18: Sousa Band members (Unidentified), Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 19: Sousa Band members (Unidentified), Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 20: William Herb, August Helmecke, Paul A. Desmond, Howard N. Goulden, Marjorie Moody and Winifred Bambrick, Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 21: Sousa Band members (Unidentified), Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 22: Sousa Band members (Unidentified), Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 23: Sousa Band member (Unidentified), Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 24: Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 25: Sousa Band member (Unidentified), Colorado wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 26: Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 27: Sousa Band members (Unidentified), Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 28: Sousa Band member (Unidentified), Train wreck possibly near Rochester, NY, ca. 1920 (Unidentified)
Item 29: Indiana train wreck, ca. 1920 (Unidentified)
Item 30: Sousa Band members, Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 31: Sousa Band members, Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 32: Sousa Band members, Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 33: Sousa Band members, Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 34: Sousa Band member (Unidentified), Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 35: Sousa Band members (Unidentified), Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 36: Sousa Band members (Unidentified), Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 78: Bertold [Bert] Waurick (sic) [Wavrek] and Albertus [Bert] Meyers, Sousa Band, Colorado train wreck, September 9, 1929
Item 101: Sousa Band, train wreck near Rochester, NY, ca. 1920 (Unidentified)
Item 102: Sousa Band, train wreck near Rochester, NY, ca. 1920 (Unidentified)

Sub-Series 2: Band Members and Musicians

Box 1: 1924-1980

Folder 3: Allentown Band Photograph, 1936
Folder 4: Portraits, 1924(?)- 1931

Electronic Folder 2

Item 4: Sousa Band member, ca. 1920 (Unidentified)
Item 37: Sousa Band member, ca. 1920 (Unidentified)
Item 38: Jack Richerson, ca. 1920s
Item 39: Russel Walt, Sousa Band, ca. 1920s
Item 40: Sousa Band member, ca. 1920 (Unidentified)
Item 41: Joseph O. DeLuca, ca. 1920s
Item 42: Fredrick K. Monroe, ca. 1920s
Item 43: Sousa Band member, ca. 1920 (Unidentified)
Item 44: Sousa Band member, ca. 1920 (Unidentified)
Item 45: Sousa Band member, ca. 1920 (Unidentified)
Item 46: Sousa Band members, ca. 1920 (Unidentified)
Item 47: Sousa Band member, ca. 1920 (Unidentified)
Item 48: Sousa Band member, Atlantic City, NJ, ca. 1920 (Unidentified)
Item 49: Russell Walt, Atlantic City, NJ, ca. 1920s
Item 50: Sousa Band members, ca. 1920 (Unidentified)
Item 51: Sousa Band member, ca. 1920 (Unidentified)
Item 52: Earl D. Kilgour, ca. 1920s
Item 53: Sousa Band members, ca. 1920 (Unidentified)
Item 54: Sousa Band member, ca. 1920 (Unidentified)
Item 55: Sousa Band members, ca. 1920 (Unidentified)
Item 56: Sousa Band member, Atlantic City, NJ, ca. 1920 (Unidentified)
Item 57: Sousa Band members, ca. 1920 (Unidentified)
Item 81: Freddie Masters, ca. 1920
Item 82: Freddie Masters and His Musical Merrymakers, ca. 1930s
Item 83: Edith Barry, ca. 1920
Item 84: Edith Barry, ca. 1920
Item 85: Navajo woman in Colorado (Unidentified), ca. 1920
Item 89: Sousa Band members, location unidentified, ca. 1920
Item 90: Tuba section, Sousa Band, ca. 1920s
Item 91: Sousa Band members, standing in front of a historical Navajo hogan in Colorado (Unidentified), ca. 1920
Item 92: Clarinet section, Sousa Band, unidentified location, ca. 1920s
Item 93: Saxophone section, Sousa Band, unidentified location, ca. 1920s
Item 94: Flute section, Sousa Band, ca. 1920s
Item 95: Sousa Band members, ca. 1920s
Item 96: Sousa Band members in Oklahoma (Unidentified), ca. 1920
Item 103: Sousa Band possibly in Oklahoma, ca. 1920s

Sub-Series 3: Sousa Band

Box 1: 1924-1980

Folder 6: Sousa and Band Ensemble, 1929

Electronic Folder 3

Item 97: Sousa Band, unidentified location in Europe, ca. 1920s
Item 98: Sousa Band, unidentified location in Europe, ca. 1920s
Item 99: Sousa Band, unidentified location in Europe, ca. 1920s
Item 100: Sousa Band, Steel Pier, Atlantic City, NY, 1926

Sub-Series 4: Artifact and Ephemera Images

Electronic Folder 4

Item 58: Sousa Band Souvenir Concert Program (cover), 1922
Item 59: Sousa Band Souvenir Concert Program (page 1), 1922
Item 60: Sousa Band Souvenir Concert Program (page 2), 1922
Item 61: Sousa Band Souvenir Concert Program (page 3), 1922
Item 62: Sousa Band Souvenir Concert Program (page 4), 1922
Item 63: Sousa Band Souvenir Concert Program (page 5), 1922
Item 64: Sousa Band Souvenir Concert Program (page 6), 1922
Item 65: Sousa Band Souvenir Concert Program (page 7), 1922
Item 66: Sousa Band Souvenir Concert Program (page 8), 1922
Item 67: Sousa Band Souvenir Concert Program (page 9), 1922
Item 68: Sousa Band Souvenir Concert Program (page 10), 1922
Item 69: Sousa Band Souvenir Concert Program (page 11), 1922
Item 70: Sousa Band Souvenir Concert Program (page 12), 1922
Item 71: Sousa Band Souvenir Concert Program (page 13), 1922
Item 72: Sousa Band Souvenir Concert Program (page 14), 1922
Item 73: Sousa Band Souvenir Concert Program (page 15), 1922
Item 74: Sousa Band Souvenir Concert Program (page 16), 1922
Item 75: Sousa Band Souvenir Concert Program (page 17), 1922
Item 76: Sousa Band Souvenir Concert Program (page 18), 1922
Item 77: Sousa Band Souvenir Concert Program (back cover), 1922
Item 79: Newsclipping highlighting William Herb's career as a member of the Sousa Band during the 1920s, ca. 1938
Item 80: Newsclipping highlighting William Herb's career as a member of the Sousa Band during the 1920s, ca. 1938
Item 86: William Herb's trunk used while a member of the Sousa Band, undated
Item 87: William Herb's trunk used while a member of the Sousa Band, undated
Item 88: William Herb's trunk used while a member of the Sousa Band, undated
Item 104: Sousa Band Travel Trunk, Undated

Series 2: Artifacts and Ephemera, 1924-1980

Box 1: 1924-1980

Folder 1: Concert Programs and Ephemera, 1925-1947
Folder 2: Newspaper Clippings, 1925-1980

Box 2: Sousa Band Uniform Pants and Hat, 1924-1932

Item 1: Sousa Band Uniform Pants, 1924-1932: Uniform Pants (Accession No. 2008.120912.002A)- 18 waist, 42 long, Manufacturer and Date unknown. Black, Wool/cotton blend with pocket and waistband liners. 13 buttons show no indications of any missing. Minimum signs of deterioration on both legs evident on hem, mid calf, and inseam near side pocket.
Item 2: Sousa Band Hat, 1924-1932: Uniform Hat (Accession No. 2008.120912.002B)- 9 1/2" diameter. Black wool hat, with satin liner and leather band on interior. Two buttons and band across bill. Hat in good condition, not warped. Nametag under leather band with William Herb's signature.

Box 3: Sousa Travel Trunk

Item 1: Billy Herb's travel trunk while a member of the Sousa Band, 1924-1932: (Accession No. 2008-1209102-04)

MapCabinet 3

MapDrawer 5

Item 4: William Herb Music Stand and Case, undated: Music Stand and Case (Accession No. 2008.120912.004). Music Stand- William Herb's music stand with "W.M. V. Herb" engraving. Case- Brown leather case for music stand, broken closure.

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Photographs and Digital Images, 1924-1936],
[Series 2: Artifacts and Ephemera, 1924-1980],
[All]