Tucked into the hills just outside Oneonta, New York, sits a renovated 1800s barn that holds two collections under one roof: a working antiques and fine art gallery, and one of the most unusual music museums in the country. If you’re staying in a Catskills cabin and looking for a day trip with a little history, a little music, and a lot of character, Northup Gallery & Drum Museum belongs on your list.
A Barn With Family Roots
Northup Gallery sits at 191 Cemetery Hill Rd in Oneonta, in a barn that was once the owner’s grandparents’ dairy farm. The property has stayed in the family since 1942. Today, that same barn houses antiques, fine art, mission furniture, and new and vintage lighting, along with a workshop where the gallery’s team builds custom lighting, furniture, and sculpture out of repurposed vintage finds. The gallery also works as an authorized dealer for lighting and furniture brands like Quoizel, Cal Lighting, and Country Value Woodworks Amish Furniture, so browsing here turns up everything from one-of-a-kind estate pieces to new factory-direct furnishings.
The barn gallery is generally open weekends from March through January, with weekday visits available by chance or by appointment — worth a quick call ahead if you’re planning around a specific day of your cabin stay.
From Auction Houses to Drum Kits: Meet Tim Northup
The gallery’s story is really the story of its owner, Timothy Northup. He got his first job at an auction house at age 15, learned the antiques trade from the ground up, and started his own business by 18 — a business that helped pay his way through SUNY Oneonta, where he majored in Art History and minored in Music Industry.
That music minor wasn’t incidental. Northup started playing drums at age nine and kept playing through high school, college, and beyond as a paid union musician. As a high school sophomore in 1986, he saw Buddy Rich perform live at SUNY Oneonta — a show he’s credited as a turning point in his life as a drummer and collector. Decades later, his personal collection of vintage drums and percussion had grown large enough to become something more than a hobby.
100 Years of Drums. And You Can Actually Play Them
In 2020, Northup opened the Northup Drums Museum inside the gallery’s main level: a history tour spanning 100 years of American drum and percussion development, from early 1900s jazz kits to modern sets. The core of the collection focuses on early jazz trap sets from the 1920s through the 1940s, tracing how the modern drum kit came together piece by piece, from the bass drum, snare, cymbals, and all the hardware in between.
What makes the museum genuinely rare is that nothing is behind glass. Every drum on display is kept in playable condition, and visitors — drummers or not — are invited to sit down and play. It’s been described as one of the only “playing” museums in the world, a place built around the idea that drums exist to be played, not preserved behind velvet rope.
The collection rotates with special exhibits and new acquisitions throughout the year. Standout pieces have included a 1928 Slingerland engraved Black Beauty snare drum and a 1930 Ludwig Peacock Pearl drum outfit prized for its rare finish and near-original condition. They are the kind of instruments that once backed silent films, vaudeville acts, and speakeasy jazz bands.
National Recognition From the Drumming World
The museum hasn’t stayed a local secret. Modern Drummer magazine profiled Tim Northup and the museum in 2022, praising the hands-on philosophy: most collectors keep their prized pieces locked away, but Northup does the opposite, letting visitors touch and play instruments most museums would rope off. Modern Drummer has continued covering the museum since, including features on standout pieces from the collection and even a look at Buddy Rich memorabilia Northup has acquired over the years — a full-circle nod to the concert that first inspired him.
Planning Your Visit to Northup Gallery & Drum Museum
Northup Gallery & Drum Museum is located about 20–25 minutes from Cooperstown, making it an easy pairing with other favorites in the area — think a morning at Doubleday Field or Fairy Springs Park followed by an afternoon among vintage drums and antiques. The museum operates by appointment, so a quick call or message ahead is the best way to make sure Tim or his team can walk you through the collection.
Whether you’re a lifelong drummer, an antiques hunter, or just looking for a story-filled stop on your Catskills getaway, this barn full of history is worth the drive.
Ready to plan your trip? Browse our Catskills cabin rentals and make Northup Gallery & Drum Museum part of your next getaway itinerary.
