Weston Historical Society, Hook & Hastings Co., Organ Factory Collection

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The Weston Historical Society collection includes materials relating to the nationally known Hook & Hastings Co., organ factory, located in Weston from 1889 to 1935. Brothers Elias and George Hook established the company in Boston in 1827 and Weston native Francis Henry Hastings became a partner in 1866. The company name changed to E. and G.G. Hook & Hastings in 1871 and to the Hook & Hastings Company in 1893. After the death of the Hook brothers in the early 1880s, Hastings moved the business in 1889 to a new factory in the Kendal Green neighborhood of Weston. In its 108 years of operation, E.& G.G. Hook and Hook & Hastings produced an estimated 2,614 organs ranging in size from 8 to 80 feet, including monumental church and concert organs shipped all over the country. The factory closed in 1935.

The collection includes three albums of photos of: the organ factory; FHH's home "Seven Gables" at 190 North Ave; stable at No. 191; family homestead at No. 199; and employee housing on North Ave, Viles Street, and Lexington Street. Also included are photos of employees and factory interiors, advertising materials, newspaper articles, concert programs, and other memorabilia. Most materials date between 1885 and 1932, although some predate the move of the factory to Weston.