Schuelke Organ Company

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The Schuelke Organ at Saint Mary's Catholic Church, Columbus, Ohio.  The organ was installed in 1901, and has been refurbished several times.
The Schuelke Organ at Saint Mary's Catholic Church, Columbus, Ohio. The organ was installed in 1901, and has been refurbished several times.

The Schuelke Organ Company was a Milwaukee, Wisconsin based pipe organ builder. Schuelke Organs operated in the later 19th and early 20th centuries.

William Schuelke was a Prussian immigrant who came to the United States in 1874. Schuelke's contributions to organ building included inventing the electric motor powered bellows crank, for which he received a patent. This was a major improvement over existing hand-cranked bellows.

The Schuelke Organ Company ceased operations in the early 20th century. Today, few of the organs his company produced exist intact. One such instrument is at Saint Boniface Church, New Vienna, Iowa. And another in St. Mary's Church in Remsen Iowa. The pipe organs at these churches have remained intact and, except for an electric blower, have remained basically unaltered.

[edit] Locations with a Schuelke Organ