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The United Methodist Church

Rethink Church

a Methodist ministry

The Vermont District,
United Methodist Church

Many visitors ask us about the beautiful pipe organ in our sanctuary. Installed in 1884, it used leather bellows, hand pumped until the late 1920's, when the hand pumped bellows was replaced by an electric wind turbine. In 1984, a new blower system was installed.

	A small door to the right of the organ opens to show the interior, still much the same as it was when the organ installed. How well made was it? Except for the blower, most everything on the organ is original. Even the original leather stops are still in use!
Look closely at the back of the door and you will see some names. These are the names of each person who pumped the original bellows. One gentleman, Raymond Fisher, who pumped for five years between 1922 and 1927, visited us not long ago and said he got 25 cents for each service when he pumped the bellows. He also got 25 cents for cutting the grass!

Here is some more information about the organ....

Model: 1884 Johnson & Son opus 629 (Westfield Massachusetts)
2 manual and pedal

Great (lower manual)
8' Diapason
8' Melodia
8' Dulciana
8' Unison Bass
4' Octave
4' Flute
2' Super Octave
Bellows Signal

Swell (upper manual)
8' Stopped Diapason
8' Violin Diapason
4' Harmonic Flute
8' Corno D'amour

Pedal
16' Bourdon
Pedal Check

Installed new in the church,  an electric wind turbine was added in the later 1920's. Original bellows and feeders were removed and discarded in 1984 and replaced with a supply-house bellows.

The organ is in fine condition and maintained by Lawrence Nevin of Derry New Hampshire.