Felgemaker Organ Company

The Felgemaker Organ Company was a manufacturer of pipe organs based out of Erie, Pennsylvania, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. History It was founded in Buffalo, New York in 1865 but relocated to Erie, Pennsylvania. In 1872, the company was known as the Derrick and Felgemaker Pipe Organ Company. During the 1870s, the company employed over 55 workers and had $75,000 worth of capital. The firm produced between 15 and 20 organs per week. Specialties of the company included church organs and portable pipe organs for small churches, schools and residential parlors. By 1878 the company was renamed as the A.B. Felgemaker Company, relocating the factory to larger facilities in 1888 and 1890. At the invitation of Mr. Felgemaker, German organ maker Anton Gottfried moved to Erie in 1894, where he leased space from the Felgemaker plant. Amid booming business, in 1911 the Erie factory underwent major renovations, adding open two-story factory floor space, renovating the offices, electrifying, and adding an electric travelling crane. The A.B. Felgemaker Company remained in business until 1917. Several workers from the Felgemaker Company, including Gottfried, joined to form the Organ Supply Industries in Erie, which is today North America's largest pipe organ manufacturer and supply house. The company produced organs until 1918, when it ceased operations. The company's service agreements and pending contracts were then assumed by the Tellers-Kent Organ Company.