Wheezing and Clicking

The reed organ reached a national peak in popularity and sales during the 19th century. Mass production and modern marketing techniques brought this instrument to public attention. Sold by mail-order houses such as Sears Roebuck Company and Montgomery Ward, and by advertisements in local newspapers, the reed organ was in the homes of the more affluent mountain townspeople and well-to-do farmers by the 1890s. After the turn of the century the piano and phonograph began to replace the reed organ in the mountain home, and by World War I there was little demand for these instruments.

Click here to read about the "baby" reed organ.