johnson victrola museum

198danw

In short, this museum is incredible. Feel free to joke about the idea of spending time in a "Victrola Museum" — you'd be missing out on one of the coolest museums I've ever been to. My wife and I stopped by close to closing time on a Saturday afternoon and were given a personal hour-long guided tour. (Our tour guide even kept the museum open past closing time to make sure we saw everything.) The museum is so much more than just a history of Eldridge Johnson and his Victrola — it covers the invention of recorded music, how music was recorded in the early 20th century, how record players changed over the years, etc. If offered, I'd definitely recommend the guided tour — our guide even played us records on a number of the Victrolas on display. Bonus: It's free. (Do put some money in the donation box on the way out). Leave at least an hour and closer to two hours if you want to see the whole thing. Just go!

Old and Restless

Lots of interesting memorabilia related to history of record players. Underappreciated museum that documents high points of recording industry.

jrepok

The Johnson Victrola Museum is a very interesting place to learn about the development of the early recording industry. Although, not as high-tech as the digital sound we have today, it was amazing to see and hear the quality of the Victrolas in the museum. In their day, they not only were used for entertainment, but as pieces of fine furniture. This place is really worth a visit.

celested1016

I love finding places that a unique and one of a kind. This was one of them and it was great to learn about how the Victrola came about and seeing all of the displays.

mrpoetryman

The Eldridge Johnson Victrola Museum is a museum dedicated to the man who invented the Victrola. When you enter the Museum, the first floor has displays of early Victrola's and information about the history of Eldridge Johnson. He was the founder of the Victor Talking Machine Company, which patented the Victrola. Their were collections of records that the guide could play for you on the different Victrola's. It also included the history of the factory in Camden, New Jersey where the machines were manufactured. On the second floor of the Museum, their was an exhibit featuring Nipper, the dog used by Johnson to trademark his machines. The collection of different items featuring Nipper was extensive. If you like music, you will love this museum !

gardeningteacher

We enjoyed hearing the old records. Wish we could see how they cut a record out of recording in the big horns. On our walk back we passed the #1 restaurant on trip advisor Frankfort. We didn't know at the time or we would have stopped.

177charless

A definite Must See!! An amazing collection from an amazing man. Knowledgeable guide made history come alive

Scrapbooker8398

A great little museum filled with musical history. Tour guide was very informative and displays were terrific. Listening to the music on the old Victrola's was fun. The variety of machines was nice to see.

Susan_LTucson_AZ

The little museum is fun and filled with marvelous items of talking machine history. The docent was excellent. She guided us through the museum with lots of information and fun. She played a few victrolas to demonstrate development of the music players. We enjoyed the story of Eldridge Johnson, the founder of the Victor Talking Machine, to whom the museum is dedicated. We loved the seeing the big collection of statues of Nipper the dog who was the model for a painting titled His Master's Voice by Francis Barraud. Nipper later became the beloved logo of the RCA Victor CO.

E5713PVjohnb

If you're visiting Dover and have a couple of hours to spare, you have to visit this museum. My wife and I had a wonderful time. Our tour guides Laura and Gavin couldn't have been nicer accommodating.

ShannonM638

I stopped by the museum on a rainy Saturday after reading rave reviews on this site. Wasn't really sure it would be my thing, but was surprised and delighted with my visit! If you love music and/or technology, you'll want to check out the Johnson Victrola museum. This museum is definitely more fun for adults than kids, so leave the squirts at home and go enjoy this fun tour.

LaurelRosa

My boyfriend and I stumbled upon this museum while exploring Dover. It was the absolute best thing we did there! It's amazing that we didn't learn more about E.R. Johnson in school! E.R. Johnson basically founded what is now the recorded music industry and had a huge effect on the USA and the world!!! The tour guide is super knowledgeable and will teach you all about it. This is one of the few museums I've been in where you can touch things and you will actually be able to listen to a few of the machines to hear how the sound developed and improved. This is a must go if you are ever in or around Dover!

416catherineh

Tour and guide were very good. A lot of things to see. It was amazing to see what was used "back in time". I recommend visiting this museum.

HappyOakdale_NY

Our friends recommended we stop at the museum for a visit. The 4 of us were the only visitors and we had a great tour of the downstairs which included the Victor products and demonstrations of the talking machines by an employee. Upstairs, a very knowledgeable docent explained more machines in fancy cabinets, and we saw many replicas of the famous dog.

harland47

This gem is a few blocks from the historic section-easy walk. amazing collection of early recording devices-you will leave far more educated! In this age of high tech Ipods, Iphones, etc, this is a refreshing look back.