Estey Organ Co. was a prolific maker of high-quality American organs. It marketed its reed organs as far away as New Zealand. They built around 500,000 reed organs, commencing around 1850 and on into the middle of this
century.
In 1920, the Estey Reed Organ was presented to St Martin's Church by a Mrs Johnson to become a memorial to the district's fallen soldiers 1914-1918.
"Work has included a complete clean and overhaul of the Estey reed organ in St Martins on the Close at Rathkeale College. This delightful wooden building was removed from Mangaweka and came with its war memorial organ. The Friends of St Martins have worked hard to achieve an authentic reburbishment of the building, and now the organ is back where it sat for many long years and we are sure that it will give many more long years of service to the school community."
