The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-08-16
Copyright ls4O. John Barr)

1AAaul 10 AAD0 0NIAA AAAJ kAANACSS to visit our esteemed fellow-Wa- terburian, Charles Miller, at his unique "Home-Acre" at the corner of East Main street and Frost Road.
 MT. Miller also owns a ssregu- lar" farm, containing many acres, a mile distant-but what single city-acre, anywhere, can. match Charley" Miller's. acre out East Main street in Waterbury, Con- necticut?
 If there was nothing else on "that acre" than the residence MT. Miller built there fifty years ago for his young wife and him. self-that house and it's contents would now be a great attraction.
 But add to the charm of the old house a half dozen other fas- cinating buildings in the back yard, including blacksmith shop and a fire-engine house inclosing an old-fashioned fire engine, made by MT. Miller over a half century ago, and a museum and House of Drum" "-and where could be found another such ex- traordinary home-acre in the midst of 8 big city?
 The special purpose of this visit to MT. Miller was to get him to tell the story of his very interest," ing hobby" that has been the diversion of his long and busy life. So, naturally, we went to his famous House of drums, where may be seen probably the most remarkable collection of drums" in the country.
 'When did your interest in drums begin?" I asked.
 T can tell you exactly when 1t started" he answered, land when three years later, I received the big thrill that I haven't got over yet"
 "The very beginning" he said, twas when I was four years old, in 1862. Waterbury had popu- lation of ten thousand, and the whole town was assembled in Ex- change Place to see Company C., 14th Regiment, go away to the War.
 My mothers brother and sev- eral cousins of ours were in that company, and my mother had takey, me down there to bid them goodbye.
 "It was the kind of scene that a child would never forget, but what made the deepest impress sion on me, was the continuous roll of a drum while those patri- otic raw-recruits, without uni- forms, were being formed into a double line in the middle of the street; and the roll changed to a 'quick-step', and away they marched out Bank street to the railroad station.
 It, is of record that that Com pany" proved gallant fighters for the Union and that half their number were killed or wounded.
 'The other occasion that I have mentioned" continued MT. Miller, "came three years later, in 1865, when was ' years old just 75 years ago. The scene was the Meadows out West Main street, near the river.
 Again all Waterbury was as- sembled and all the people of the surrounding country.
 ''The war was over. The Union was saved and slavery abolished forever from American soil.
 Every day the soldiers put on a special drill for the big crowds. Do you suppose I missed any of those drills? No siree. A yoke of oxen couldn't have dragged me away. Of course it was all thrill- ing, but to me the colossal event was when a line of 20 big 'drummers' was ordered to the front.
 "Why, the astonishing things that those husky 'boys-in-blue' did to those 20 drums" gave me the grand kick that I have never got sover.
 INT. Miller" I asked, when did you first own drum?'
 I was thirteen" he said, when I first owned a really fine drum. Before that I had only a small one. I then heard of a valuable drum that the owner would sell for ten dollars. I earned the money by doing odd jobs out of school hours. It was a beauty and I learned to play it so well that I was asked to join a drum band organized by veteran sol- diers to march for General Grant in the presidential campaign of 1872. So it happened that when was fourteen I drummed in the biggest parade Connecticut had ever seen up to then. It was in Hartford and was several miles long. General Grant was in the parade, but I was so busy drum ming that I didn't get a chance to see him.
 "So you see," proceeded MT. Miller, "I began drumming in presidential election campaigns away back in 1872, and have kept it up ever since.
 "In 1877 I joined the famous old Woldcott Drum Band, that was then re-organized by Levi Atkins and the name changed to the 'Matticut Drum Band.
 MT. Atkins was a very fine and patriotic man, from the old Wol- colt Revolutionary War stock. He was then about 75 years old. He was a thorough musician. He played several instruments and was a great instructor.
 MT. Miller said that MT. Levi Atkins drilled the reorganized Wolcott Drum Band so thor oughly that it regained its old prestige as the best drum band in the country. He said that as the Mattatuck Drum Band was non- partisan, they drummed in both Democrat and Republican pa- rades. And in the famous presi- dential campaign of 1880 they were much in evidence.
 That was the year when he