Long before the days of music streaming, and even radio, there was only one way for people to listen to music in their homes: by making it themselves!
This pump organ from the 1880s has ornamental woodwork cabinetry to blend in to the family’s parlor. They operated by continuously pumping the foot pedals on the bottom to force air across a bank of reeds, while pressing the keys like a piano. Many families had a few members who knew an instrument or two while the others could sing to make music together in the evening.
This pump organ is currently on display in the Salem Museum’s new permanent exhibit “Inside the House on Main Street: The Historic Williams-Brown House.”
“Inside the House on Main Street” highlights the history of the family that built and lived in the Williams-Brown House, which the Salem Museum calls home today. Visitors will learn about Victorian life in the home, and post-Civil War life in Salem. With new items and stories about Salem’s past on display, it is a must-see addition to the Museum’s exhibitions.
The Salem Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and located at 801 E. Main St.
