Winter Lyceum: “Rollo Jamison: 40 years in Platteville”

Patrick Daniels Presents “Rollo Jamison: 40 years in Platteville”
Forty years ago, Rollo Jamison, who had spent his lifetime “saving history,” donated his one-man museum to the City of Platteville. In this presentation, Patrick Daniels will talk about Rollo’s life in Beetown, Wisconsin; finding a new home for the collection, moving the collection to Platteville, and the early days of the Rollo Jamison Museum, including the first Heritage Days which was a grand opening celebration culminating in a dedication of the museum on June 14, 1981.

Patrick Daniels grew up in Platteville and has been a volunteer with the Rollo Jamison Museum since it was in Beetown. His primary focus has been the mechanical music part of the collection, demonstrating phonographs, music boxes and organettes on Heritage Days since 1981 initially under the watchful eye of his father, Jerry Daniels, who was the first president of the Jamison Museum Association and was instrumental in moving the collection to Platteville.

Mr. Daniels first operated a 78 rpm phonograph when he was in kindergarten, listening to tap dance lesson records. He also was amazed by an Edison Amberola 50 that his great grandfather’s which he still has. He also has a modest collection of shellac records as well as cylinder recordings. In addition to yearly maintenance of the Rollo Jamison Museum’s phonograph and music box collection, he has also helped with the maintenance and care of phonographs and organettes in private collections. Most recently he also assisted in the restoration of a roller organ for the Green County Historical Society.