Note: Not extant. Not playable. (in this location)
2007-05-05 - Identified through on-line information from James Hale. -- The Church and Organ were built in 1850. The church was an exact duplicate of the North Congregational Church, which was overflowing at the time. Town history has it the organ was first set up in the park by the courthouse, played to the public, and then removed to the church. It served the church until the 1960s, by which time it had been deteriorating. The Berkshire Company under David Cogswell was brought in to build a new replacement. No pipes from the Jardine were included in the new organ. The organ was probably either taken by Berkshire or sold. No details aside from historic photos are available. -Database Manager
2007-05-09 - Updated through on-line information from James Hale. -- From other sources "Thaddeus Fairbanks presented South Church with the first pipe organ in the community in 1856. George Jardine of New York City constructed the organ in 1855, using a total of 984 pipes. Until 1876, the organ stood in the gallery. In that year, the instrument was moved to the southeast corner of the sanctuary. The Jardine organ offered three or four basic sounds, and was best suited for the limited demands of early 19th century English church music. <br>"After more than a century's service to the faithful, the organ was replaced after determining that it was much less costly to build a new organ than to rebuild the old. The new organ would lower maintenance cost while providing greater reliability, a greatly expanded tonal variety, and freedom from some of the problems created by changing Vermont weather. The congregation dedicated the new organ, designed by church organist, Robert Rachlm and constructed by David Cogswell of the Berkshire Organ Co., on October 5, 1969.<br>" ... Some of the 114-year-old lumber and some of the larger pipe bodies from the original organ were incorporated into the new design." -Database Manager
2007-06-05 - Updated through on-line information from Allan D. St.Peter. -- I assisted in the dismantling and removal of this instrument to David Cogswell's barn. -Database Manager
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