Conn Band Instrument Company

Conn Band Instrument Company is located at 1101 East Beardsley Avenue. Charles Gerard Conn, an Elkhart native, is known as the father of the musical industry in Elkhart. Conn enlisted in the army at the age of seventeen and by the age of nineteen, he was made Captain. During the Civil War, he was a Prisoner of War and received the Medal of Honor. According to the story, the beginning of the Conn Band Instrument Company started when during a fight, Conn was slugged in the mouth, leaving his mouth severely lacerated. The injury ruined Conn’s ability to play the Cornet. Fearing that his playing days were over, he took measures to ensure that he would be able to continue playing by inventing a new mouthpiece. After showing a couple of friends his invention, it took off. He began by making mouthpieces out of his grocery store, but by 1877 he had started a factory, at which point he went into full production. Conn Company started here, though the factory did not last long. The site caught fire and had to be moved to another location, but the memory of this factory is forever memorialized at this site.

Your next stop on the tour is Armstrong Company. From Conn, continue east on Beardsley for about four blocks and turn left on Independence Street. Turn left on Grant Street, where Armstrong is located on the north side of the street at 1536 Grant. The building is now MorRyde Business.