By far one of my personal favorite pieces in the shoppe right now is our 1877/1878 Jones Organ. Never heard of it, well neither had we until it followed us home from a garage sale a few months ago. This beautiful Gothic revival reed organ was produced in Oakland CA. It utilizes workings from the Tabor Organ Co. of Worcester Mass. which was started in 1876 by one A. C. Emmons. The workings were evidently purchased from the company by Jones shortly thereafter. The only two date markings on the Organ are for the Patent application date, June 23 1877 for the Organ - Stop Action by H. R. Moore. The patent wasn't awarded until January 8, 1878 and the patent for the tremolo which was patented by William D. Parker awarded June 22, 1875. The respective patents are as follows: Moore's application and subsequent patent, No. 199,090 and for Parker No. 164,871. Both patents and corresponding renderings are available online.
Beyond that little is know about this exact piece, we have yet to turn up even a reference to the Jones Organ Co. in Oakland in a city directory. Such a lack of information leads one to wonder as to the production numbers for the concern. I'm begining to think that Jones may have been something of a glorified cabinet maker, but since there's no definitive evidence either way, who's to say at this point. Research still awaits.
What I can tell you is that this piece has somehow survived, especially considering one near miss that we know about. This piece was slated for demolition right along with the house it sat in. The organ itself was refurbished in the 1940's as attested to a handwritten tag attached to the inner workings of the organ only accessible through the back panel. The organ is functional and designed perfectly in the Gothic revival style of the 1870's. The carving is consistent in all its features and accented by gilt work.
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