Do I Own a Stencil Organ?

Although the overwhelming number of pump organs built in this country bore the real manufacturer’s name, some did not. It was common for pump organ manufacturers to build organs for other pump organ companies as well as other businesses – like “music emporiums.”

Before music stores were called music stores they there called music emporiums. These emporiums sold all things musical, from sheet music, banjos, harmonicas, along with pump organs.

It was also common for these emporiums to have their own line of pump organs, but in name only.

The emporiums would purchase several organs from a pump organ manufacturer and instead of the manufacturer putting their own name (label) on the organ they would stencil on whatever name the customer wanted. These organs were known in the industry as “stencil organs.”

Today we would call this practice “private labeling.” Unfortunately, it can sometimes be difficult, if not impossible, to determine just who these mystery businesses were, because all we can go by is the name that appears on the organ.

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