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Of all the early business enterprises of Beaver County which have been recorded and published, no mention has been made of the Organ Works.
Who remembers? I, Joseph Harold Thompson do.
The T. Swager and Sons Piano and Organ Manufacturers of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, was located across the Wallace Run from Morado in Big Beaver Township. It was a red brick building two stories high, about 30 feet wide and 75 feet long. There was an opening in the second floor and a large pulley in the ceiling for raising and lowering organs and materials. There was a railroad siding on the P.R.R. crossing.
My father, John Elwin Thompson, lived about one half a mile from the factory and was employed by the company until it ceased to operate. I have a large screwdriver and a hand drill which my father used in the assembly of the organs, before I was born in 1895.
In 1890, an advertisement in a Woman's Home Journal stated: "Great Offer- Pianos $35.00. Organs direct from factory at manufacturer's prices. No such offer ever made before. Every man is his own agent. Examine in your own home. Write for particulars." My comment: That was some price for pianos and organs in those days. I hope they sold a lot of them!
As a boy, 3 or 4 years old, I used to play "Chopsticks" and pump the pedal with one foot.
When the Organ Works closed the door, my father obtained four organs (some back pay involved) and gave one to each of his sisters who were Mrs. Elizabeth McKissic of Homewood, Pa., Mrs. Margaret McAnallen of Ellwood City, Pa., and Mrs. Mary Thompson of Freedom, Pa. The fourth organ he kept for himself because it was a special organ, only one of its kindused for tuning all the other organs.
The building fell to a state of disrepair. Groups of men from town used to meet there on weekends to play poker. There were reports that the stakes were extremely high for as much as $10,000.
As a young boy, I used to play in and around the building with other boys.
Yes, I remember it well!