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A poster for Howe's Wonderful Phonograph Concert: Edison Up To Date, circa 1893.
Credit: Luzerne County Historical Society
In 1890, Lyman Howe found a new mechanical marvel to bring to the people of northeastern Pennsylvania - the Edison phonograph. For the next several years, he offered recorded concerts of music and speech in any gathering place where he could get a booking. Stressing the moral and enriching qualities of his "high class" presentations, the self-styled "Professor" Howe appealed to a broad wide range of audiences.