Original Theatre Pipe Organs of
Fargo, ND & Moorhead, MN
This list may be incomplete, and only includes instruments installed during the "heyday" of the theatre pipe
organ (1915-1935). Nearly all of these local F-M organs were very short lived. With the exception of the WDAY Radio Barton Organ, the other four known organs (which were housed in theaters) all appear to have fallen out of regular use by the end of 1929, very likely stemming from the onset of the great depression in October 1929 and the phasing out of silent films as talking movies had been invented two years prior in 1927.
Theatre organists of this era who served as house organists for these various instruments in Fargo-Moorhead included Hildegarde Usselman Kraus, Norman S. Wright, Clara (Cowell) Morris, Ramon Berry (real name Charles Raymond Berry), Eddie Borgens, Mabel (Carlson) Nowak Furcht, Elsie Kossick, Jerome Reith, Ruth Nelson, and Mrs. Frank T. Peterson.
Original Fargo, North Dakota Theatre Pipe Organs (5)
2-Manual Robert Morton
State Theater
Fargo, ND
This organ, billed as "The Organ With a Soul," cost $15,000 to be installed for the theatre's opening on November 28, 1921. It was the first theatre pipe organ to be installed in the F-M area. Norman S. Wright, son of Moorhead business owner A. J. Wright (Wright Funeral Home/Furniture/Awnings), was house organist. He studied in Paris, France under world-famous organist Marcel Dupré and later moved to California where he became organist of Hollywood First United Methodist Church in Hollywood. During his time in Paris, he was featured organist at the Gaumont-Palace, the world's largest theatre at that time with a seating capacity of 4,850.
Following Mr. Wright's time at the State Theater, Hildegarde Usselman Kraus was house organist for several years. Hildegarde's husband, Ed Kraus was the manager and they later both moved to the Fargo Theatre.​
This organ was replaced by a 2-manual Marr & Colton organ March/April 1928 at which time it was moved to the Moorhead Theater which opened on April 7, 1928. Like most theatre pipe organs in the F-M area, it is not known exactly when the instrument fell out of use, and what its ultimate fate was.
A history of the State Theater may be found here.
2/7 Style E X Wurlitzer
Fargo Theatre
Fargo, ND
This is the organ around which the current 4-manual Wurlitzer at the Fargo Theatre is built, so a complete history of it may be found here.
The organ's factory date is January 22, 1926 and it is Wurlitzer Opus 1255. It was installed in the Fargo Theatre in February 1926, and was completed on March 8, 1926, just in time for the theatre's opening on March 15, 1926. Its installation cost was said to be $25,000.
Early house organists of the Fargo Theatre included Ramon Berry, Eddie Borgens, Elsie Kossick, Mabel Nowak Furcht, Hildegarde Usselman Kraus, and Clara Morris.
The organ appears to have been used regularly from its installation in 1926 until about March 1929, when it was no longer regularly advertised in the newspaper. After this time, it was used less frequently until becoming dormant on March 26, 1948 when it was used a final time for Good Friday Services held at the theatre.
Though no longer in its original form, it is one of very few theatre pipe organs still housed within its original venue. It is the sole surviving original installation theatre pipe organ from the F-M area and has been in continuous use since December 1973.
3-Manual Barton
Garrick Theater
Fargo, ND
A Fargo Forum newspaper clipping from April 11, 1926 states that this "Golden Voiced Barton" was installed around that time in the Garrick Theater. Jerome Reith was house organist at the theater when the Barton was installed, and by December 1927 Ruth Nelson was house organist. Mrs. Frank T. Peterson was the next house organist and was reported to have studied organ at the famed McPhail School in Minneapolis. The last newspaper mention of the organ being used was for Good Friday services in March 1929.
Like most theatre pipe organs in the F-M area, it is not known exactly when the instrument fell out of use, and what its ultimate fate was. The Garrick Theater closed on August 8, 1931 and was remodeled into a department store.
A history of the Garrick Theater may be found here.
2-Manual Marr & Colton
State Theater
Fargo, ND
Hildegarde Usselman Kraus, a well-known theatre organist in Fargo, ND, played at the State Theater (mentioned above on this page) for several years and married its manager, Ed Kraus.
She spent the month of March 1928 studying theatre organ under famed Minneapolis organist Eddie Dunstedter at which point she returned to a new $15,000 2-manual Marr & Colton which had replaced the theater's former 2-manual Robert Morton organ. The Robert Morton was moved to a theatre in nearby Moorhead, MN.
Even after she began playing at the Fargo Theatre in March, 1929, Hildegarde continued as house organist at the State Theater until at least November 8, 1929, when WDAY broadcast a radio program from there. This is also the last time the organ is mentioned in the newspaper so it may have been defunct from that point onward.
Like most theatre pipe organs in the F-M area, it is not known exactly when the instrument fell out of use, and what its ultimate fate was.
A history of the State Theater may be found here.
2/3 Barton
WDAY Studio
Fargo, ND
As early as 1926, WDAY was featuring theatre pipe organ music as part of its programming as they broadcast a Christmas special from the Fargo Theatre.
Hildegarde Usselman Krause began her 30-year career at WDAY in 1925 as staff organist. While much of her organ programming was recorded at the State Theater and Fargo Theatre, WDAY did eventually purchase a small, 3--rank Barton organ in 1930 from a theater in Mitchell, South Dakota. A newspaper clipping from March 1930 may indicate that the studio had already purchased and installed the organ at that point.
As it appears that the other four theatre pipe organs in the area fell out of use with the onset of the Great Depression in late-1929, it seemed advantageous for WDAY to purchase an organ of their own to continue their regular organ programming.
This organ was one of the few 3-rank instruments made by Barton. WDAY eventually purchased a Hammond Organ once the electronic organ market emerged and the Barton was likely phased out, and the studio sold the Barton in 1953. It was never too favorable to play for staff and guest organists, likely due to its very small size. It remained in the F-M area until 1978.
As this organ was repurposed and later installed in other F-M area venues, a full history of it may be found here.
Original Moorhead, Minnesota Theatre Pipe Organs (1)
2-Manual Robert Morton
Moorhead Theater
Moorhead, MN
This organ was originally installed in the State Theater in Fargo, ND in 1921 and it was transferred to the new Moorhead Theater in March/April 1928. The Moorhead Theater opened on April 7, 1928. Clara (Cowell) Morris was house organist and later on Elsie Kossick was house organist. Both of these women were also house organists at the Fargo Theatre around this time.
In October 1929, the Pipe Organ Group of the Fargo Music Club (predecessor organization of the Red River Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists), visited the Moorhead Theater where Moorhead native organist Norman S. Wright gave a demonstration on adapting music to the theatre pipe organ. Mr. Wright was familiar with this organ as he played on it as house organist when it was still housed in the State Theater in Fargo. The October 1929 mention of the organ is the last newspaper mentioning of the instrument being at the Moorhead Theater. The theater itself closed on January 25, 1973.
Like most theatre pipe organs in the F-M area, it is not known exactly when the instrument fell out of use, and what its ultimate fate was. It was likely removed before a 1946 renovation of the theater building.
Miscellaneous (4)
Photoplayer
Strand Theater
Fargo, ND
A Fargo Forum newspaper clipping from March 25, 1915 states that a Photoplayer was installed in the Strand Theater in Fargo, ND. While not a true theatre pipe organ, it did contain some organ pipes and is therefore included as a miscellaneous instrument for the original Fargo-Moorhead theatre pipe organ list.
It was manufactured in California, possibly indicating that it was manufactured by the American Fotoplayer Co. of Berkley, CA.
Like most theatre pipe organs and related instruments in the F-M area, it is not known exactly when the instrument fell out of use, and what its ultimate fate was.
A history of the Strand Theater may be found here.
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Photoplayer
Princess Theater
Fargo, ND
A Fargo Forum newspaper clipping from December 9, 1920 states that a Photoplayer was installed in the Princess Theater in Fargo, ND. While not a true theatre pipe organ, it did contain some organ pipes and is therefore included as a miscellaneous instrument for the original Fargo-Moorhead theatre pipe organ list.
Like most theatre pipe organs and related instruments in the F-M area, it is not known exactly when the instrument fell out of use, and what its ultimate fate was.
A history of the Princess Theater may be found here.
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Seeburg Pipe Organ Orchestra,
Fotoplayer
Liberty Theater
Fargo, ND
The Liberty Theater, which celebrated a grand reopening in February 1918, sported a Seeburg Pipe Organ Orchestra, one of several types of automated piano-based theatre-type instruments which were popular at that time. It would have included organ pipes and several percussions as well.
This instrument was evidently replaced by a Fotoplayer according to a January 13, 1923 Fargo Forum newspaper clipping. Though it is not known what happened to the Seeburg instrument, the Liberty Theater and Fotoplayer were destroyed by fire in 1924.
A history of the Liberty Theater may be found here.
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