Grand opening of historic home of $19.5 million musician set for Sept. 18

The dedication of the home of a musician who traveled from 1880-1913 performing about 7,200 concerts is set for 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 18 at 10 N. Fourth St. The musician earned about $19.5 million dollars in his lifetime, an amount calculated using information in the National Register of Historic Places document on the…

Four easy ways to help shape history

Shaping history comes in, well, all shapes and sizes. Here are four ways to help shape Columbia’s history. 1. A Saturday, June 1, 2013 concert will let you hear history — and help to preserve and discover it. A second J.W. “Blind” Boone piano has been discovered. Boone was a classical and ragtime musician who…

Dec. 4 concert for historic home of John W. “Blind” Boone

When I mentioned to a friend I wanted to write a book about historic homes, she suggested a title for it: If these walls could talk. Well, on Dec. 4, 2011, in a way, the walls of one historic home will talk, and it will be the language of music. A fund-raising concert will be…

Roots N Blues, ragtime and historic homes

It is no wonder Columbia is once again hosting the Roots N Blues N BBQ festival. This city has a long history with music. Until 1927, J.W. “Blind” Boone lived at 10 N. Fourth Street. At the time, Boone was one of the world’s most famous musicians, according to the website of the J.W. “Blind”…