BRATTLEBORO — Brattleboro's Estey Organ Museum will open for the season on Saturday, May 16, at 2 p.m. The museum is open during the summer and fall on Saturdays and Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m. To visit the museum on other days, call 802-246-8366 to arrange an appointment.
The Estey Organ Museum was formed in 2002 to celebrate and preserve the work done by the Estey Organ Company in Brattleboro for over 110 years. During that time, the company manufactured more than 520,000 reed organs and 3,200 pipe organs.
During Estey's final five years, it also made electronic organs. The reed organs were shipped all around the world, and the pipe organs dotted the United Staes from coast to coast.
Estey was the largest manufacturer of reed organs in the United States, and was, for a number of years, the largest employer in the state of Vermont. Its employees were also active in local civic, political, and military affairs. Company Vice President Levi Fuller served as governor of the state for one term from 1892 to 1894.
The museum has a variety of organs on display, most of which are in playing condition so that visitors can try them out. Admission is by $5 donation and the museum is accessible by wheelchair.
Located at 108 Birge St, the museum is located in the former “engine house,” which is found behind the iconic row of gray slate-sided buildings.