In the front parlor of the Riley House, you will notice the beautiful ornate Parlor Reed Pump Organ. The Organ originally belonged to Lola Beams Carter. She and her little daughter Lydia died in the 1917 - 1918 flu epidemic that plagued America. Lola and Lydia are buried at Swan College Cemetery in Mercer County, Ohio.

This pump organ was purchased in Celina, Ohio, probably around the turn of the century. The organ is in excellent playing condition. It was donated to the Riley House by the Lola Reid family with the help of Juanita Oren and Donna Bealer. Many visitors to the Riley House may enjoy it thanks to their generosity.

The reed pump organ, or sometimes called the harmonium, was first invented by Alexander Debian in Europe. It was more convenient than the pipe organ in terms of portability and maneuverability, with beautiful sounds, baseline and easy maintenance. In the late 1800s, America invented its own portable reed organ. This variety used a suction system to create the sounds instead of a pressure-only system with swell knee pumps.

Thanks to a kind donation, the museum’s organ was repaired recently. New parts were made to match what was already there. These new parts match so perfectly that we can’t tell the new from the old! Can you?

Next week, learn about who invented this organ and the history behind its creation! If you would like to see it before then, stop by the Riley House on a Monday or Friday between 9 and 5. Admission is free.