Estey Organ Museum

06/06/2026

02/06/2026

The Estey Organ Museum is proud to announce that we have received the donation of a military chaplain's organ made ca. 1942 by Estey. This organ belonged the US Army 745th Tank Batallion, attached to the First Infantry Division, which was a part of the Invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, landing on Omaha Beach on D-Day. The 745th landed the following morning when the beach was secure and safe for offloading tanks. It moved across northern France and beyond to arrive in Czechoslovakia. Estey made military organs under contract with the Department of Defense. The organ was restored by Ned Phoenix and donated by Pal Borofsky of Keene, New Hampshire, formerly of Brattleboro.

01/05/2026

The Estey Organ Museum opens for the season Saturday May 2. Ranked online as one of the top 5 cultural attractions in Brattleboro, Vermont, it is located in the original Estey factory and is a hands-on museum where visitors are encouraged to play all the organs! Weekend hours 2-4pm.

This year’s special exhibition is “From Parlor to Salon: Marketing Reed Organs to Changing Tastes.” It explores how the Estey Organ Company’s marketing strategy changes with the progression of the 19th century. Several Estey organs from different periods in the company’s history illustrate the changes in style. Come and see!!

30/03/2026

Today we welcomed Estey Bo***ir Organ #93233 from 1879! The Bo***ir organ was used in advertising for nearly a decade from 1874, appearing on posters and catalog covers.

27/03/2026

Guess what’s under the sheets?? Plans are moving along to open the Estey Organ Museum in May 2. There will be a special exhibit on marketing the Reed organ. Stay tuned for more!

25/10/2025

Mitch, at Hack Modular in the UK, has done a great video on the Estey Chaplain's organ that was made in large numbers for the US Military during World War II and the Korean War. Enjoy!

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hackmodularHack Shop: https://www.tindie.com/stores/hackmodular/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hack_modular/?hl=enMore...

25/09/2025

ESTEY ORGAN MUSEUM SLATES CELEBRATION AND NEW EXHIBIT
Brattleboro, VT– The Estey Organ Museum will host an open house on Tuesday, September 30 to celebrate several milestones. The day will mark the 213th birthday of Estey Organ Company founder Jacob Estey. Museum trustees will celebrate completion of this year’s special organ restoration project. In addition, an 8’x12’ mural, enlarged from a 150-year old Estey poster, will be dedicated to long-time museum volunteer John Carnahan. The public is invited to this free event from 4-6 p.m.
Production of the mural was made possible by the collaboration of people dedicated to preserving local history.
With permission, the 2’x3’ poster was put into the expert hands of John Clements and Nel McNeil of Zephyr Designs who carefully removed it from the frame. Museum trustee Allan Seymour photographed it and passed the file to the folks at Minuteman Press who printed the 8’x12’ mural.
Framing and mounting the mural fell into the hands of John Clements of Zephyr.
The original poster shows an artist’s depiction of the Estey Organ complex in the late 1800s. The open house will also celebrate the completed restoration of Estey’s 100,000th reed organ. As production approached this milestone in the late 1870s, Estey designed a special model for the occasion, calling it the
Salon, and it became very popular. Estey understood the power of words, and the Salon model soon became the Grand Salon. Museum trustee Craig Cowing has spent the summer readying the organ for a musical debut on the 30th
Open House, September 30, 4-6 p.m. Free admission. 4:30: Mural dedication, remarks,
and music.

08/08/2025

Today we transported this magnificent and rare 1869 Estey with an intact decorative pipe top to the Brooks House, a former hotel in Brattleboro and now a commercial and business center. The organ was the gift of Sheila Horox and her family from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. It will be an eye catching centerpiece for the lobby there.

03/08/2025

On Friday several of our volunteers took a Folding JJ organ to Brattleboro’s Gallery Walk and set up in Pliny Park on the corner of Main and High Streets. The park was a perfect venue for promoting our cause.

Bob Nield took turns playing the organ and his home-made four-string guitar. He served as pied piper and enjoyed snagging people to take a try at playing the JJ.

Touting our mission became a little more challenging when a group of protesters used the park to assemble and proceed to march around the block - three times, each time finishing near us and banging spoons on pots and pans. The only thing Bob could play was a drone march in time to their banging. It was hilarious. Only in Brattleboro!

20/06/2025

Progress today on the Estey. 100,000 Salon Organ. The pedals and the wind system are installed!