Minshall Electronic Organ

Datec. 1950

DimensionsOverall: 84 × 108.3 × 76 cm (0.84 × 1.08 × 0.76 m)

Credit LineGift of Mr. Jeffery Pendrall, 1984

Object number1984.022.001

Label TextBurton Minshall (1907-1957), born in Oxford County, Ontario, and a former radio repairman, extablished Minshall Organs in 1946. Electronic organs competed against reed, and pipe organs, which had been common for centuries. Minshall Organs were sold to churches, funeral parlours, and homeowners, as electronic organs were much more portable than traditional organs. Minshall’s original plant in Ontario Canada moved in 1946 to Brattleboro, Vermont , due to the proximity of Estey Organ Co., a well known and established manufacturer of reed organs. In 1947, Minshall’s company merged with Estey to form ‘Minshall-Estey Organ Inc’ where they continued to produce electronic organs based ion Minshall’s designs until 1954 when Minshall severed ties with Estey. The Minshall company finally came to an end in 1955. Burton Minshall became ill, sold all of his shares in the company, and eventually died in 1957 in Berne, Switzerland.

NameOrgan