Nazareth in Northampton County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Christian Frederick Martin

(1786–1867)

Photographed By Paul Crumlish, April 3, 2010

1. Christian Frederick Martin Marker

Inscription. Founder in 1833 of C.F. Martin & Co. (The Martin Guitar Company), one of the world's oldest musical instrument manufacturers. Its innovations in acoustic guitar design-- including the x-braced flat-top guitar and Dreadnought guitar-- were to exert a formative influence on the industry. German-born C.F. Martin moved the firm from New York City to this area in 1838. He built a small shop here in 1859. It expanded many times and was long the company's factory.

Erected 2000 by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1833.

Location. 40° 44.76′ N, 75° 18.749′ W. Marker is in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, in Northampton County. Marker is on West North Street, 0 miles west of North Main Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10 West North Street, Nazareth PA 18064, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Nazareth Hall Military Academy (approx. 0.2 miles away); Civil War Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Kraemer-Beck Mansion

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(approx. 0.2 miles away); 153rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment (approx. ¼ mile away); The Will R. Beitel Children's Home (approx. ¼ mile away); World War Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); World War II and Korean Conflict Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); The UN Tree (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Nazareth.

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. To better understand the relationship, study each marker shown.

Also see . . .
1. Martin Guitar: Our Story. “The early Martin guitars were totally hand-crafted products, made on a one-by-one basis, and there was little standardization. However, there were a few features that commonly incorporated in most of C. F. Martin’s instruments. Until the mid-1840s, Martin guitars were characterized by a headstock that had all the tuning keys on one side. Martin acquired this design from his teacher in Vienna, Johann Stauffer. The headstock design with all the tuning keys on one side was discontinued by Martin and went unused until Leo Fender resurrected the design in 1948 with

Wide view of the Christian Frederick Martin Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Paul Crumlish, April 3, 2010

2. Wide view of the Christian Frederick Martin Marker

The restored original Martin factory (1859) and old Martin Homestead are behind the marker

his Telecaster guitar.” (Submitted on April 7, 2010, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia.)

2. C. F. Martin & Company - Wikipedia. (Submitted on November 11, 2012.)
3. MarkerQuest - Christian Frederick Martin. An overview of C. F. Martin's life and legacy. (Submitted on February 2, 2022, by Laura Klotz of Northampton, Pennsylvania.)

Christian Frederick Martin Home image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Karl Stelly, March 6, 2012

3. Christian Frederick Martin Home

His original home in Nazareth, it adjoins the factory building. The address is 201 N. Main Street.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 4, 2022. It was originally submitted on April 7, 2010, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,428 times since then and 48 times this year. Last updated on February 1, 2022, by Laura Klotz of Northampton, Pennsylvania. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 7, 2010, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia. 3. submitted on March 7, 2012, by Karl Stelly of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.