When Jim Corbett, of Edmonds, found a violin for sale in a Seattle pawn shop around 35 years ago, he purchased it believing what the pawn shop told him, that it was built in Chehalis in 1972.
That's what the shop owners thought after examining the pencil-written inscription on the inside of it.
Looking at the wood, he believed it was much older than a 1972 violin, but he purchased it anyway.
Despite not being considered an orchestra-quality instrument, he thought it was a well made instrument. He purchased it for $100, playing it himself for years believing it was just an old country fiddle.
It turns out that pawn shop was incorrect. The violin was actually crafted in Chehalis in 1912 by CL Young, whose full name is Calvin Lemuel Young, according to a local historian.
On Thursday, Aug 15, Corbett was joined by fellow members of the Washington Old Time Fiddlers Association (WOTFA) for one last jam session “homecoming” with the 112-year-old violin at the Lewis County Historical Museum (LCHM) in Chehalis.
Corbett donated it to the museum.
“I’ve had it, played it and enjoyed it for some time, but it really needs to be here,” Corbett said.
One day, after owning it for years, he decided to take a closer look at the violin’s inner inscription. He noticed there was another inscription that read “no. 134.”
“The ‘1’ had a little weird mark at the top, and I realized the date on the inside then read 1912, not 1972, as the ‘1’s in the 134 looked the same,” Corbett said.
He then took it to a Seattle violin maker who looked up the name “CL Young” — which was also penciled inside the violin — in the Encyclopedia of American Violin Makers.
“This guy was making violins here from about 1903 or so to about 1915,” he added.
LCHM Executive Director Jason Mattson explained that Young was originally a logger who moved to Winlock for work from Oregon where he was born.
“I found him listed in 1910 as a logger in Winlock, and then he opened up his business here in Chehalis we think from 1912 to 1915,” Mattson said. “At some point, he ended up in Castle Rock, then moved back down to Oregon where he passed away in 1942.”
Corbett could tell Young was a logger as it appears he sourced wood for the violins he made from the area.
“The back and sides on it are maple, which is standard for a violin,” Corbett added. “Usually a violin has a spruce top, though.”
Another violin shop in Seattle took a look at it and believes this top of Corbett’s violin is actually made from yellow cedar.
“So it’s a very different wood from a standard violin. He was drawing on local wood. That was what was available,” Corbett said.
As for how many total violins were made by Young, Corbett doesn’t know. Given that it’s believed Young kept making violins for three more years after building the one Corbett donated Thursday, Corbett knows there could be many others out there still, but he believes his is probably in the best condition.
The Seattle violin maker told Corbett he had seen other CL Young violins come through his shop, but none in as good condition as his is in.
Even at 112 years old, the violin still plays a beautiful tune, as both Corbett and other WOTFA members played it on Thursday at the LCHM.
For those interested in seeing the newly donated CL Young violin at the LCHM, Mattson plans on having it displayed in the museum’s main lobby over the next couple of months before moving it to preservation storage for future displays.
Located at 599 NW Front St. in downtown Chehalis, the LCHM is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and children ages 7 to 18 and free for children 6 or younger.
For more information, visit https://lewiscountymuseum.org/.
