RENFREW COUNTY— The Bromley Historical Society is pleased to sponsor a talk, The Estey Pump Organ, on Sunday, October 6 at 2:00 p.m., in the Old Town Hall, at 498 Micksburg Road in Osceola.
The presentation, by Luke Wickenhauser, owner/technician of Vintage Piano Restorations, will be a light, informative and hands-on talk on the inner workings of pump organs, specifically the Estey pump organ and how using the organ stops produces various effects.
Several years ago, the Society became the proud custodian of an Estey Pump Organ, donated by Gerald Tracy of Eganville. The organ had been played during religious services at St. Michael’s church in Douglas.
At its peak, the Estey Organ Company of Vermont employed approximately 700 people and built around 500 thousand to 520 thousand pump organs between 1846 and 1955. Estey shipped its organs as far as Africa, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand.
Mr. Wickenhauser moved from Saskatchewan to the Ottawa Valley two years ago. He began Vintage Piano Restorations 29 years ago, after he searched for an alternative to his previous work in forestry. He gained his interest in tuning and repair from his father, a farmer, who tuned and repaired pianos in Saskatchewan.
The presentation is free and open to the public. Following the event, refreshments will be available.
