USA Free Reed Organ History - Seraphine or Melodeon? 1809 - 1846

In a patent investigation, two of the most important free reed organ builders in the USA (Jeremiah Carhart & Emmons Hamlin) stated that no more than 300 free reed organs were built in the USA before 1846.

These first Free Reed organs that came to the USA or were already built in the USA were mostly called Seraphine or Melodeon.

Some of these first 300, whether documented or not, can be found in this folder.

Period 1809 to 1846.

Until 1846 American Free Reed organs as well as the European Free Reed organs were built with pressure wind bellows technology.

After Jeremiah Carhart developed a new suction wind bellows technique for free reed organs in 1846, free reed organs in the USA were built almost exclusively with suction wind bellows.