According to “The History of the Great American Steam Piano” by Steven Espensheid, the first steamboat fitted with a calliope was the Str. Unicorn, at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1860.

It’s called a calliope or steam organ, and it was originally designed to be played inside churches. “The steam calliope was actually patented by Joshua C. Stout from Massachusetts.

Residents wave and clap as the Winona Steam Calliope rolls by in the parade at Lake Winona Manor June 14, 2011, in Winona. The calliope, in need of major repairs, has been stored indefinitely.

Announcing his presence is the steam calliope he hauls to parades and other festive events in a circus-themed tractor-trailer. The calliope's loud, lively tunes -\!q played on a brass keyboard ...

The calliope is fueled by propane tanks that heat a boiler to produce steam. Davis said the calliope will play at the city of Bloomington’s 200th anniversary on April 29.

Steam from the calliope billows up as high as 100 feet in the cold winter air, Bergman said. “A lot of children are really awed by it because they’ve never seen anything like this before in their life ...

An unusual artwork in the Sculpture Garden on the National Mall also makes unusual sounds: archaic and uncanny. It's an old-fashioned steam calliope, an instrument once commonly seen in carnivals ...

For the past 14 years the Winona Steam Calliope, along with a Dixieland band and antique vehicles, has proudly represented our area in major Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans.

Kathy Santiago plays Getz's steam calliope before the Mountville Parade Saturday, May 25, 2019. Kathy Santiago, 57, spent much of her youth traveling to fairs, parades and steam shows with her ...

The calliope project navigated uncharted waters because calliopes are rare, steam-powered ones are even more scarce and parts are harder to find than a Cubs sports bar in Cleveland.

An old-fashioned steam calliope designed by luminaries in the worlds of art and jazz is on display at the National Sculpture Garden. A slavery-era instrument is on the National Mall, singing ...