The read­ing room at the OHS Library and Archives.

About

Found­ed in 1961, the Library and Archives of the Organ His­tor­i­cal Soci­ety is America’s pre­em­i­nent research insti­tu­tion devot­ed exclu­sive­ly to the study of pipe organs, their his­to­ry and con­struc­tion, as well as those who play them and com­pose for them.

OHSLA Guidelines

Use of Collections

Col­lec­tions Devel­op­ment Policy

Scan Request Policy

Hours

Hours are by appoint­ment only, and may be made by con­tact­ing the OHS archivist at archives@​organhistoricalsociety.​org.

Holdings

  • 12,000 books about organs, organ build­ing, organ­ists, and organ music
  • 450 peri­od­i­cal titles, includ­ing the largest body of organ seri­als anywhere
  • 400 dis­ser­ta­tions about organs, organ builders, organ­ists, and organ music
  • 20,000 organ sto­plists, pho­tographs, and ded­i­ca­tion programs
  • 1,500 sales brochures, cat­a­logs, and pro­mo­tion­al pub­li­ca­tions from hun­dreds of organ builders and firms
  • 500 name­plates from var­i­ous organ builders and firms
  • 5,000 Organ Postcards
  • 15,000 Organ Photographs
  • Records of the Amer­i­can Insti­tute of Organ builders, as well as busi­ness records, tools, and cor­re­spon­dence of Amer­i­can organ build­ing firms such as the Möller organ com­pa­ny, among many others

Virtual Exhibits

There Shall Be No More Night There“
The Fad­ed Chron­i­cle of Leg­endary Organ­ist, David Duf­fle Wood

Vis­it the Exhibit

Location

OHS Library and Archives
330 North Spring Mill Road
Vil­lano­va, PA 19085 – 1737
(484) 488-PIPE (7473)

Print­ed mate­ri­als are housed in ded­i­cat­ed rooms on the sec­ond floor of Stoneleigh, the for­mer estate of the Haas Fam­i­ly in Vil­lano­va, Penn­syl­va­nia. Spe­cial Col­lec­tions, pri­mar­i­ly con­sist­ing of the archives and busi­ness records of numer­ous Amer­i­can organ builders, are locat­ed in cli­mate-con­trolled rooms on the third floor. Unprocessed archival mate­ri­als are locat­ed at a stor­age facil­i­ty in Warmin­ster, Penn­syl­va­nia, a Philadel­phia suburb.

Contact

The OHS Mission Statement

The Organ His­tor­i­cal Soci­ety cel­ebrates, pre­serves, and stud­ies the pipe organ in Amer­i­ca in all its his­toric styles, through re­search, edu­ca­tion, ad­vocacy, and music.

The Organ Historical Society

330 North Spring Mill Road
Vil­lano­va, PA 19085 – 1737
(484) 488-PIPE (7473)
mail@​organhistoricalsociety.​org