Robert-Morton Company
1921

Updated through online information from Eric Schmiedeberg. -- After exhaustive research of Salem area newspaper microfilms and business directories, I have come to the conclusion that the "Maria Theatre" never existed; at least by that name. There are clues as to what was going on here, though.

In 1920, a Photoplayer pit organ built by the American Photoplayer Company was installed at the Ye Liberty Theatre in Salem, according to newspaper accounts. The American Photoplayer Company of Berkeley, California was directly tied to the Robert Morton Company of Van Nuys, California.

There are numerous instances where Photoplayers were installed in theatres that would, in short-order, "upgrade" their instruments to full-fledged theatre pipe organs; Mortons, of course. Beginning in 1921, ads for the Liberty Theatre (as it was usually called) began referring to a pipe organ installation, rather than the Photoplayer.

There were only two theatres in Salem that used pipe organs of any kind in 1921; the Oregon with its 3/12 Wurlitzer and the Liberty. It looks certain that the 1921 Morton sent to Salem was for the Ye Liberty; one of the many Photoplayer-to-Morton upgrades made during Morton's history. The Morton would eventually be replaced by a 2-manual Smith instrument in 1924. This would be the third and final organ of any kind sent to the Liberty.

The make-up of the Morton is not known. However, their 2/4 Style 75 was very popular and there is little room for variation in organs of four ranks. So, most likely, the Liberty Morton would have consisted of the typical pattern used by that company for four-rankers: 8' Vox, 16' Flute, 8' Open Diapason, 8' String (of some kind). Morton's style designation catalog is all over the place and very fragmented, so nailing down what their various 4-rank models entailed exactly is practically impossible.

I also theorize that the Morton designated as having been sent to the Grand Theatre in Salem in 1924 is actually the 1921 Morton first installed at the Liberty. Salem theatre mogul George Guthrie operated the Liberty, Oregon and Grand Theatres in 1924 and most likely took what was basically a new organ and moved it in across the alley to the Grand which had, until this time, apparently gone without a pipe organ.

The 1924 Grand Theatre entry in the Morton records probably denotes this re-installation coupled with the shipment of a new blower for it. The new blower order was most likely what got the Grand Theatre "on the books" at the factory.

Identified through online information from James R. Stettner. -- Nothing more is presently known about the theatre or the organ.