Hammond Electric Organ
date: label: date made
content: 1934
notes: label: Description
content: <p>This organ was made by Hammond Clock Co. in Chicago, Illinois, in 1934. It is an electric organ, Model A, serial #1, made of walnut. This organ has two manuals, swell and great, with 61 keys each. 25-note, radiating, detachable pedal keyboards. 9 preset keys and 2 sets of adjustable harmonic drawbars for each manual, 2 adjustable drawbars (16’ and 8’) for pedals. 1 expression pedal controlling swell, great, and pedals. One tone generator, one tremulant affecting both manual and pedals equally. Accessioned with model A-20 tone cabinet and bench.</p>
label: Description
content: <p>The original owner of this first Hammond was the Paseo Methodist Church in Kansas City, which bought it in 1935. Shortly after Laurens Hammond had his electric organ patented in 1934, Hammond salesmen took the instrument around the country for demonstrations and to stimulate sales. One of the first stops was Kansas City, Missouri.</p>
label: Description
content: <p>J. W. Jenkins, president, Jenkins Music Company, Kansas City, Missouri indicated in museum correspondence, “we were the first franchised Hammond Organ dealer in the world, that is why we came in possession of this organ. We sold the organ to the Paseo Methodist Church, Kansas City, Missouri, in 1936, after using it for a number of months as a demonstrator. Since this was the first and only one we had, we couldn't sell it until the factory was able to supply us with more organs. In 1947 the Paseo Methodist Church moved and built a new and bigger church. At that time, they traded in Hammond Organ Serial #1 for a new and bigger church model. Ever since then this organ has remained in our possession and has literally traveled coast to coast on exhibition and promotions for other dealer friends of ours.” The organ was donated to the Smithsonian in 1968.</p>
label: Description
content: <p>This instrument features U. S. Patent #1956350 dated April 24, 1934, by Laurens Hammond for an electrical musical instrument.</p>
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
label: Location
content: Currently not on view (bench; broken lightbulb pieces; cord; felt circle; metal bracket; organ; screw; spring)
label: Location
content: Currently not on view (amplifier)
place: label: place made
content: United States: Illinois, Chicago
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Musical Instruments
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content: Music & Musical Instruments
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content: Organs
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content: Electronic Musical Instruments
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of J. W. Jenkins IV
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MI.69.06
label: catalog number
content: 69.06
label: accession number
content: 280950
label: patent number
content: 1956350
label: catalog number
content: 69.6
objectType: label: Object Name
content: organ
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: walnut (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: glass (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: organ: 37 3/4 in x 49 in x 42 in; 95.885 cm x 124.46 cm x 106.68 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: amplifier: 30 in x 27 in x 15 1/2 in; 76.2 cm x 68.58 cm x 39.37 cm