Antique 1887 Wurlitzer Mfr.Tuning Fork (Used to write "Waltz Across Texas!")

Description

From the Estate of Ora Mullican, Crisp, Texas, who, along with Ernest Tubb, composed the final version of "Waltz Across Texas" using this turning fork:
Antique 1887 Wurlitzer Manufacturing Tuning Fork. Owned and used by my grandmother, Ora Mullican, of Crisp, Texas, a member of the prominent Mullican Family of Ellis County, Texas. My grandmother was born in the late 1800's, and so this tuning fork was most likely owned by her mother, Louisa Hefly of Bristol, Texas, and passed down to her. Ora Mullican was a very well known piano teacher in the area, and her family dates back to when Texas was still an independent nation. Her family were well known musicians, and her son, my uncle, W.K. "Mike" Mullican was a famous big band leader in Dallas in the 1940's and 1950's.
Stampings read:  Pat. Oct. 27, [18]85
Pat. Dec. 18, [18]87
Wurlitzer Mfr
The Key Note stampings on the tuning face are (from forks to handle):  D_CB_A_G_FE_D
Adjustable pitch bars on forks.
The Story of "Waltz Across Texas:"
Ernest Tubb was born in a sharecroppers' cabin on Andrew Jackson Mullican's farm in Crisp, Texas, Ora Mullican's father-in-law. He and my grandparents were life long friends, and he would frequently stop in for a visit when my grandfather, Knox Mullican ran the general store in Crisp, Texas. Since Ora Mullican was a well known piano player, they would sometimes play music together.
Ernest Tubb stopped by my grandmother's house one day in 1964. At that time, she had purchased a prized possession-- a baby grand Steinway piano which sat in the middle of the large den in her house in Crisp, right down the road from where Ernest was born. He said, "Miss Ora, I wrote a new song, and I want to play it for you." He commence to playing the song on her piano, and being the "strong" country woman she was, she broke in saying, "No, no, no, Ernest. That's all wrong. You need to change it and play it like this..." And she tuned up her ear with her tuning fork and then proceeded to alter his song and play it like she said it should go. That version became the now world famous hit "Waltz Across Texas" and cemented Ernest Tubb's fame as the Father of Country & Western music, building him an adoring fan following that continues to this day in modern generations of music lovers around the world.
My grandmother's prized Steinway piano still resides in my den and is the same classic piano featured in the fashion photo shots of the beautiful model shown above.
A rare and classic piece of music Americana with a fabled story!