It's a Thanksgiving surprise almost too good to believe for music lovers, historians and everybody.

An exquisite hand-carved baton, owned and used by legendary band leader Tommy Dorsey, has been found inside a Lansford house and was presented to the local museum for the cultural enrichment of the community.Lansford Historical Society President Bill Harleman and history buff Jim Zanders of Lehighton met Monday to officially present the baton for safekeeping and to ensure the item stays in Carbon County."I'm glad it's back where it belongs," said Zanders, who retired five years ago after 24 years with Lehighton borough and later in the circulation department of the Times News.Zanders found the baton a few months ago while cleaning out a house at 34 W. Bertsch St. It was the home of his father-in-law, Edward Ringer, who died a year ago at 90 and had once played in jam sessions with Tommy Dorsey."My father-in-law was a trumpet player," Zanders said. "He often spoke of it."The baton features the inscription: "Made for T. Dorsey by M. Fredericks of Lansford."Lansford DorseysThomas F. Dorsey Sr. was a $10-a-week miner. But he also was a self-taught music teacher and bandmaster with a yearning to pass those skills to his children.Born in Mount Carmel, he later moved to Shenandoah. He married Theresa Langton of Minersville, and together they raised four children: Jimmy, Thomas Jr., Edward and Mary.Dorsey and family relocated to Lansford in 1916 to seize an opportunity, settling at 227 E. Abbott St."He moved here to direct the Liberty Band of Lansford," Harlemen said.According to research by the society, the Dorsey kids started early and learned to play several instruments.Meanwhile, Pop Dorsey immersed himself in music, taking on duties as director of Tamaqua's acclaimed Pennsylvania Cornet Band, a history-rich marching group formed after the Civil War.In 1934, he also was named musical director at Lansford High School, a position he held for five years."He directed 52 bands in his career and directed at such places as St. Michael's Church," Harleman said.JimmyJimmy, the eldest son, was described as calmer than brother Tommy. He preferred to be a section player rather than soloist.He learned to play the slide trombone by age 5 and was playing cornet in his father's band at an Irish church in Shenandoah by age 7. At age 9, he had switched to the trumpet and made his way to New York, working with J. Carson McGee's King Trumpeters.He returned home the following year and learned to play the C-melody saxophone. He later switched to reed instruments in his early teens, focusing on the clarinet. To help the family, he ended up working in local mine offices as a messenger and general "go-for." He lied about his age to get the job.TommyTommy's first job was in a meat market.At home, he began musical training on the bell alto then switched to the double-bell baritone. Later, he took up horn instruments, sometimes the trumpet but mostly the trombone.According to research, the earliest appearance by the boys was in the Seek Boys Band organized and directed by their dad. Next came Dorsey's Wild Canaries with other locals: Jimmy Crossin and Catherine Crossin of Nesquehoning; Walter Miller, Coaldale; and Donald Neyer, Hazleton.The group played the area from Coaldale to Shenandoah before branching out to Allentown, Reading and Pottsville.By the 1920s, the boys moved to a band called the Scranton Sirens.The splitBy 1933, they formed a band called the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, their road to fame until Memorial Day 1935. That's when Jimmy left and formed his own band after arguing with his brother.The two enjoyed separate fame; however, Tommy's career was considered more successful. Tommy later earned the nickname "the Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" after his hit "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You."Jimmy's band's hits were "Change Partners," "I hear a Rhapsody," "High on a Windy Hill," "Amapola" and "My Sister and I."Tommy created "One Treasure Island," "The Music Goes Round and Round," "Alone," "You," "Marie," "Boogie Woogie," "I'll Be Seeing You," "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You," and "Tangerine."They continued separate careers and rarely spoke until a brief truce to do the movie "The Fabulous Dorseys" in 1948. They then went separate ways until their mother asked them to stop fighting after their father died.The endAccording to the Tamaqua Evening Courier, Tommy died on Nov. 26, 1956, by choking to death in his sleep in Greenwich, Connecticut. Sleeping pills were thought to be a contributing factor.Tommy, who'd married three times, was denied a Catholic burial due to being divorced twice.Jimmy died on June 12, 1957, from cancer. He had a growth removed from his lung in January and was able to return to conducting in February of that year. He returned to the hospital March 13 and remained there until his death.As for Thomas Sr., he left his job at Lansford High School in 1939, and the graduating class dedicated the yearbook to him. He died in his home in Lansford on July 12, 1942, and had spent 15 months in the hospital.Interestingly, the Dorseys' mother outlived all of them. She passed away in Marlin, near Minersville, in 1968. The exact date she moved from Lansford is unclear.Thomas Sr., wife Theresa, Edward and Jimmy are buried in the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cemetery in Shenandoah. Tommy is buried in Kensico Cemetery, Valhalla, New York.Society member Bob Perrin of Coaldale believes it's important for folks to understand the Dorsey story and to know about local legends so that history is preserved."We're no longer the community we were," Perrin said. "The people who knew these things are passing away."That's why museum volunteers appreciate generous, thoughtful individuals such as Zanders, Harleman said."We're so very grateful to Jim," he said. "He knocked our socks off when he walked in with that baton."Zanders knows he could've sold the item to a collector for a tidy sum. But instead of thinking of himself, he felt driven to do something special to benefit the greater community."It's better here," Zanders said. And with one magnificent gesture of goodwill, he single-handedly gave the Lansford Historical Society and the town its best Thanksgiving ever.