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The Keefer Instrument Company was spawned from the Distin Instrument Company.

By 1883, Senator Luther R. Keefer was a major investor in the Distin operation. A group of investors led by ex-state, Senator Luther R. Keefer (named as president) and Brua C. Keefer as Sec.-Treas. purchased the grandstand of Old Oaks Park and converted it into a factory for Distin. Distin moved his operation to Williamsport in 1886. The company was chartered in 1888 and employed about 50 men.

In 1890 Distin retired and Brua Keefer gave up a law practice in Pottsville,Pa. to manage the company as general manager.

In 1909 Brua C. Keefer obtained complete financial control of the company and renamed it. He continued to manufacture the same high-quality Distin models and did bring out some new models. He also still made a lot of instruments for the military. Newspaper reports that the plant, even with a lot of overtime, could not keep up during WWI. A 1922 article also reports on Keefer instruments in the military.

Keefer died in 1927 and his son, Brua C. Keefer Jr. took over. ( he died in 1973) The company continued to make instruments until 1940 when they could no longer get imported brass. ¹ The company name was changed in 1940 to the Keefer Keefer Band Inst. Co. They did sell other instruments and ran a music school until the business burned down in 1960.

The Keefer company did sell clarinets and saxophones under their name, but they were made by Prufer Manufacturing Co. of Providence,RI.

After WWII the company more or less stopped manufacturing instruments but stayed open as a music school/music store. They also may have done some repairs, refurbishings and custom work for area musicians or others from around the country who wanted special work done on their Keefer horns.

Sometime after 1960 there were some trumpets stamped Keefer that were sold, but they were not the quality Keefer instrument. They do not have the highest grade stamped on them only Keefer.

The building caught fire in 1964 and that was the end of the Keefer Co.

One of the notable characteristics of some of the Keefer instruments were their unique finger buttons.

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