Burlington, Vermont 1857

Earl Clifford Gross

This lithograph was done in 1957 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Story & Clark Piano & Organ Company in Burlington, Vermont in 1857. A label reads: "This original signed lithograph commemorates the founding of our company by Hampton L. Story, in Burlington, Vermont. A piano teacher turned piano builder, his high standards still inspire his grandchildren, the present owners and managers of the Story & Clark Piano Company."

Hampton Story was joined by organ and piano maker Melville Clark, the first to make a player piano, called "The Apollo." Clark left the company in 1901 to form his own company. The Story and Clark piano business was sold to the Lowrey Organ Company in 1962, and sales slowly declined during the 1970s.

When the factory closed in 1984, Lowrey split the piano and electronic keyboard businesses and sold them to different investors. In 1992 S&C pianos became a division of the Classic Player Pianos Corporation in 1990. In 1993 it was taken over by QRS Music Technologies, the descendant of the company founded by Clark in 1900! Pianos with the brand Story and Clark are still being produced, but are no longer manufactured in the US.