The iconic instrument was found and given to Acuff by American soldiers stationed in Germany at the end of World War II. It is now on display in a spotlight exhibit in the museum’s upper-level galleries.

“It felt important to me that the great Roy Acuff’s fiddle join the ranks of other revered instruments in the museum’s permanent collection—including Maybelle Carter’s 1928 Gibson L-5 guitar and Bill Monroe’s 1923 Gibson F-5 mandolin,” Vince shares. “The fiddle was given to Acuff by soldiers during a time of war because of how much he meant to them. He meant a lot to me, too.”

Source: Country Music Hall of Fame