MORRISTOWN, NJ.- The Morris Museum has acquired the Mechanical Music Library International, containing approximately 6000 items, comprised of books, journals, magazines, newsletters, bulletins, directories, trade and auction catalogs, sound media and period prints, all related to the field of mechanical musical instruments and automata.

On August 20th, 2019 the library was physically transferred to the Morris Museum, home to the Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata. The addition of this library will serve as a vital resource for the ongoing study and research of that collection.

The MMLI was created by William H. Edgerton of Darien CT, a longtime collector and enthusiast of mechanical music and automata. Over the years more than 60 donors have contributed to the Library with major donations having come from Q. David Bowers, Emery Prior, Glen Jedlika, Elise Roenigk, Art Reblitz, Beatrice Farmer, Joseph Gilbert, Edward Schmidt, the estate of Marvin Polan and Edgerton himself.

It is believed to be the third largest archive of such material in North America. With this transfer the library has been newly christened the “Edgerton Mechanical Music Library” to acknowledge the donor.

There is a website devoted to this collection, where the catalog is searchable. The Library and website will continue to be updated and managed by Edgerton as it has been since inception, and can be available for research by arrangement with advance notice. The library is not however, accessible to the general public on a walk-in basis. Contact or inquiries can be made through the website.

Edgerton is a past President and Trustee of the Musical Box Society, Int’l. and former proprietor of the Mechanical Music Center, in Darien, CT., one time the largest specialized dealership for these instruments in the country. He is a builder of a limited production run of coin-operated piano orchestrions known as the Seeburg KT Special Replica, an author, publisher and professional wine consultant.