Pump Organ, Star Organ, c. 1870s

Pump Organ, Star Organ, circa 1870s

During the late 1880s, pump organs (or melodeons) were a very popular instrument. Used mainly in churches and homes, the instrument saw widespread usage across the globe. Pump organs use specialized bellows to push air past internal reeds in order to produce sound. The Star Organ Company was based in Kalamazoo and was originally founded as Blakeman & Gibbs by W.P. Blakeman and Isaac Gibbs. The company was later bought out by Col. Delos Phillips. Phillips was a commanding officer during the American Civil War, and in 1869, after a brief time as co-owner, Phillips would have sole ownership of the company. He renamed it the Star Organ Company, and they produced around 26 different styles of pump organs and around 5 or 6 types of pile organs. By 1875, around 20% of all organs in the United States came from Kalamazoo.

According to family stories, Henry and Kate Riemersma of Kalamazoo bought this organ around 1870 for $200. After Henry’s death, Kate sold it to her husband’s great-niece, Anna DeVries, of Drenth, Michigan, where it remained until 1976, when a family member shipped it to Santa Monica, California. In 2012, the organ made its way back home to Kalamazoo and now resides in the collection of the Kalamazoo Valley Museum.

Object #2012.13.1

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