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NEWS, Mason Buys Estey Organ Shop, North Adams Transcript, November 3, 1961, | location_city = Brattleboro, Vermont| location_country =| location = | locations =| area_served = Worldwide| key_people =| industry = Musical instruments| products = Pump organs (Melodeon, American reed organ)Pipe organs, Theatre organs, Electronic organs| production = | services = | market cap =| revenue =| operating_income =| net_income =| assets =| equity =| owner =| num_employees =| parent = | divisions =| subsid = Estey Piano Co., Welte Mignon Corp., Welte Organ Co., North American Discount Co., Estey-Welte Securities Co., Eswell Realty Corp., Magna Electronics Co. (Magnatone)| homepage =| footnotes =| intl =}}The Estey Organ Company was an organ manufacturer based in Brattleboro, Vermont, founded in 1852 by Jacob Estey. At its peak, the company was one of the world’s largest organ manufacturers, employed about 700 people, and sold its high-quality items as far away as Africa, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. Estey built around 500,000 to 520,000 pump organs between 1846 and 1955. Estey also produced pianos, made at the Estey Piano Company Factory in New York City.

History

(File:Jacob Estey from Americas Successful Men.png|left|thumb|160px|Jacob Estey)File:Estey Organ Company map in November 1891 - Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Brattleboro, Windham County, Vermont. LOC sanborn08910 002-6 (cropped).tif|right|thumb|Estey Organ Company (Brattleboro, Vermont) 1891 map from Sanborn Map Company ]]

Jacob Estey

Jacob Estey (1814–1890) born in Hinsdale, New Hampshire, ran away from an orphanage to Worcester, Massachusetts, where he learned the plumbing trade. In 1835 he arrived in Brattleboro, Vermont at age 21 to work in a plumbing shop. He soon bought the shop, beginning a long career as a successful businessman. He died in 1890.About 1850, Estey built a two-story shop in Brattleboro and rented it out to a small company that manufactured melodeons. When the renters ran short of cash, Estey took an interest in the business in lieu of rent, eventually becoming sole proprietor. Despite having no musical talent or skills as an inventor, Jacob Estey grew the company into a great success, giving up the plumbing business.BOOK, Hall, Henry, Americas Successful Men of Affairs, 1896, New York Tribune, 287–289, Volume II, In 1855, Estey organized the first manufacturing company to bear his name, Estey & Greene—followed by Estey & Company, J. Estey & Company, Estey Organ Company—and finally, Estey Organ Corporation. In advertising copy the company claimed to have been building organs since 1846.JOURNAL, February 1, 1943, Advertisement - Estey Organ Corporation,www.thediapason.com/sites/thediapason/files/194302TheDiapason.pdf, The Diapason, 34, 3, 6, October 31, 2022, October 31, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20221031193931/https://www.thediapason.com/sites/thediapason/files/194302TheDiapason.pdf, dead, Jacob Estey saw the manufacturing and sale of these instruments, later known as American reed organs, as a new business opportunity.{{clear left}}

Estey reed organs in the 19th century

{{See also|Pump organ#Types}}File:Estey & Green Perfect Melodeon - Portable Melodeon - Estey & Green (1855-1863).jpg|Portable melodeon by Estey & Green (1855-1863)WEB, A Brief Chronology of the Estey Organ Company,www.esteyorganmuseum.org/estey-heritage/a-brief-chronology-of-the-estey-organ-company/, EsteyOrganMuseum.org, Estey Organ Museum, Brattleboro, Vermont, Below is a very brief chronology of the Estey Organ Company. For a comprehensive examination of the company, we recommend the book, Manufacturing the Muse by Dennis Waring.({{harvnb, Waring, 2002, )}}File:Estey Perfect Melodeon, Piano Style - 1867 Estey catalogue (Waring 2002 p.24, Fig.7).jpg|Piano style melodeon (1867){{citation |title =1867 Estey catalogue |publisher=J. Estey & Company |quote={{smaller|The Estey Perfect Melodeons”, ”Piano Style. / Nos. 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13. / Rosewood, Round Corners, Serpentine Mouldings.}}}}; also published as Figure 7 on {{harvnb|Waring|2002|p=24}}File:Estey pump organ & Stradivarius copy from the 17th century - Duet (HDR).jpg| American reed organ (Cottage organ style)File:Harmonium in St Peter’s Church, Normanby by Spittle (geography.org.uk 2622275 2ed0d039).jpg| Chapel organ (1864-1882)File:Estey parlor organ (1897) clipped from trade card.jpg| Parlor organ with top (1897)File:Estey parlor organ.jpg| Pipe-top parlor organ{{harvnb|PumpOrganRestorations.com}}File:Parlor organ, Estey Organ Company, Brattleboro VT, c. 1882, walnut, pine, steel, painted and gilt with ivory and ebony keys - Bennington Museum - Bennington, VT - DSC09091.JPG|Boudoir organ with pipe-top (1882, a style){{citation |title =1890 Estey catalogue |publisher=Estey Organ Company |quote={{smaller|Boudoir Organ. -- Pipe Organ Top. / Rosewood, Round Corners, Serpentine Mouldings.}}}}; also published as Figure 9 on: {{harvnb|Waring|2002|p=26}}File:Estey Salon Organ (late 19th century) clipped from trade card 2.jpg| Salon organ (late 19th century, a style){{citation |title =1881 Estey catalogue |publisher=Estey Organ Company |quote={{smaller|The J. Estey & Company “New Salon Organ”}}}}; also published as Figure 2 on: {{harvnb|Waring|2002|p=3}}File:Estey Phonorium. (front).jpg| Church Phonorium organ (late 19th century, a style)WEB, The Phonorium Organ,www.esteyorgan.com/StylePhonorium.html, The Estey Organ Virtual Museum, File:Estey Cathedral Organ with pipe top - 1890 Estey catalogue (Waring 2002 p.25, Fig.8).jpg|Cathedral organ with pipe-top (1890, a style)BOOK, 1890 Estey catalogue, Estey Organ Company, {{smaller, Estey Cathedral Organ (with pipe top) ..., }}; also published as Figure 8 on: {{harvnb|Waring|2002|p=25}}

Estey-Welte, an unrelated competitor

{{multiple image |direction=horizontal }}In 1926 another company used the name Estey. It was the Estey-Welte Corporation, and began when George Gittins, owner of the entirely separate Estey Piano Company (The Bronx, NY),BOOK, ESTEY PIANO CO.,books.google.com/books?id=N5NDAQAAMAAJ&dq=George%20Gittins%20Estey-Welte&pg=PA132, 1922, The Purchaser’s Guide to the Music Industries, Music Trades Corporation, 132, acquired the American assets of the Welte Company seized during World War I. That year, Estey-Welte acquired the Hall Organ Company of West Philadelphia and a new built six-floor building at 695 Fifth Avenue as showrooms and salesrooms. This became the company’s home, and the offices of the Welte Mignon Studios and the other subsidiary companies—including the Estey Piano Company, the Welte Mignon Corporation, the Welte Organ Company, the North American Discount Company, the Estey-Welte Securities Company, and the Eswell Realty Corporation.New York Times, Dec. 18, 1926, Organ Company absorbed In 1926 Estey-Welte formed The Welte-Mignon Studios of Florida, Inc. in Palm Beach.New York Times, January 15, 1927 Sales of organs rise The Estey-Welte company was forced into receivership in 1927 after a flurry of unabashed stock manipulations stemming from the Philadelphia brokerage house of Frank C. McCown, eventually being revived as the Welte-Tripp Organ Co. of Sound Beach, CT.

Estey in the early 20th century

{{multiple image |direction=horizontal }}Over its more than one hundred years, the Vermont Estey company became the largest and best known manufacturer of reed organs in the world.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} It made more than 520,000 instruments, all labeled Brattleboro, Vt. USA. In 1901, Estey Organ Company began making pipe organs, and became one of the largest American pipe organ manufacturers. They built and sold more than 3,200 pipe organs across the U.S. and abroad. The company provided organs for many important locations, including New York City’s Capital Theatre, the Sacramento, CA Municipal Auditorium, and Henry Ford’s home in Dearborn, Michigan.Also during the era of silent films, Estey made over 160 theatre organs.WEB , WEB ,

Estey Organ after World War II

Following World War II, Estey developed and manufactured electronic organs, joining a limited number of companies that manufactured all three types of organs—reed, pipe, and electronic. In the 1950s, Harald Bode joined Estey. He had been a pioneer in the research and development of electronic musical instrument since the 1930s, and had developed the Bode Organ in 1951. At Estey, he helped develop the Estey Electronic Organ model S and AS-1 (1954), AV MEDIA

, {{citation }}

Later history

Fletcher Music Centers purchased the Estey Organ company name in 1989, the oldest name in the home organ industry, to continue the tradition of quality and musicianship. Fletcher Music Centers subsequently produced several models of home organs, including the Discovery, Freedom, Liberty, Patriot and Americana.  The models included a lifetime free lesson program. They are selling these instruments exclusively through their chain of retail stores. Fletcher Music Centers and the Estey Organ Company corporate office is in Clearwater, Florida. In 2019 the brand was revived for a series of entry level instruments manufactured in China for sale through the dealer network left without new product after the demise of Lowrey.

Marco Mendez

In 2021, Marco Mendez was commissioned by Fletcher Music to create the MK-5000. The MK-5000 represents the newest and state-of-the-art model made from one of the largest manfaturures of electronic organs in China (Ringway) with a custom made cabinet by Orla in Italy.  This instrument will be released in the United States late in the Fall of 2023.  

Estey Organ Company Factory

factoids

5|acre}}version=2010a}}| increase_refnum = 06001232| increase = January 9, 2007}}The Estey Organ Company’s main factory was located southwest of downtown Brattleboro, on the south side of Whetstone Brook between Birge and Organ Streets. At its height, the complex had more than 20 buildings, many of which were interconnected by raised walkways and covered bridges. Several of the buildings were built with distinctive slate siding, resulting in an architecturally unique collection of such structures in the state.WEB, {{NRHP url, 06001232, |title=NRHP nomination for Estey Organ Company Factory|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=2015-11-22}} One of the buildings now houses the Estey Organ Museum; the entire surviving complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, both for its architecture, and as a major economic force in Brattleboro for many years.

Social contributions by Estey family

The Estey family had a long tradition of company leadership and community involvement, including residential development such as Esteyville; banking; town government; schools; fire protection; military units; churches; and Vermont state politics and government. Estey Hall on the campus of Shaw University is named after Estey, who contributed to the construction of the building. It was the first building in the entire U.S. dedicated for the higher education of African-American women. Fletcher Music Centers continued the tradition of community involvement by helping fund a music therapy wing at All Children’s Hospital located in St. Petersburg, Florida.{{clear left}}

See also

• Edwin S. Votey
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Windham County, Vermont
• List of New York City Designated Landmarks in the Bronx - Estey Piano Company Factory

{{clear right}}

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

Types of pump organs

{{See also|Pump organ#Types}}

• {{citation

• {{citation

Further reading

• BOOK, Waring, Dennis G.

External links

{{Commons category|Estey Organ Co.}}

• The Estey Organ Virtual Museum
• Estey Organ Museum
• Ned Phoenix, Museum Founder NAMM Oral History Interview

{{NRHP in Windham County, Vermont}}