ATOS Members
1972

The organ in the Ancaster High School, in Ancaster, Ontario, is a three manual Warren, with 16 ranks. Most of the organ is from the 1917 Warren installed in the Capitol Theatre in Hamilton, with some salvaged pipework from the Palace Theatre, and some extensions added to existing ranks (Tuba 16’, Diaphone 16’).

The stop tabs are laid out in a peculiar order, with the 8’ stops on the upper rail and the 16’, 4’, 2’ stops on the lower rail. The colours of the tabs are red for reeds, white for diapasons and flutes, yellow for strings, green for percussions and black for couplers.

The organ is not maintained and is not playable.

Updated through online information from James H. Locke [August 15, 2026]: My father Paul Locke, and several co/workers/friends re-installed the Warren Palace and Capital theatre organs in Ancaster Secondary School starting in 1975 over a period of thirty years. The organ is currently not maintained but in playable condition. These organs were combined since the Palace Theatre organ was severely water damaged. I actually played both instruments in the theatres before removal. Sam The Record Man who owned the theatres, allowed my father and friends to remove both organs before theatre demolition based on a promise that the organs would be restored and installed in a venue for public concerts. I have original documents and files of 'The Hamilton Theatre Organ Society' from my father's estate. The current music teacher at Ancaster Secondary School is supportive of this organ but it seems difficult to move forward. James Locke BA. Music .Ed. Masters. Ed.

This is the date of installation in its new location; the date of the original Warren Organ in the Loew's Theatre was 1918. The installation was undertaken by 3 individuals, according to an article in the Hamilton Spectator (April 4, 1972): Paul Locke, Tommy Tomelin and Tom Mitchell, Westinghouse engineers and described as members of the ATOS Niagara Frontier Branch.

Information received online from Andrew Henderson on 2025-03-08

"In the golden age of the movie palace, there were two theatres close or next door to one another in downtown Hamilton: the Capitol and the Palace. Both had Warren theatre organs that fell into disrepair as the years went by. Paul Locke, Tommy Tomelin and Tom Mitchell, all employees of Westinghouse, started work on the Capitol organ [originally installed circa 1917] in January 1972. The men were working on this organ to bring it back to life in the theatre. The organ in the Palace Theatre was, apparently, in worse shape because of a fire in 1959. The June 1973 issue of Theatre Organ magazine reported the demolition of both theatres (urban renewal?) and that both organs were saved to be installed in Ancaster High School. It appears that they combined the two organs into one using the best parts of both instruments. The organ is listed as a 3/17."

-- David Vuckson, Feb. 24, 2023