Unknown - Organ Case and Facade (Photograph by Christoph Cox (2018)/Database Manager)
Note: Not extant. Not playable. (in this location)
2008-03-12 - Identified through on-line information from David Hagberg -Database Manager
2023-01-02 - The organ was acquired by Ed Boadway through the Organ Clearing House in 1978 for the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church In Claremont, N.H. where he was organist-- the organ replacing an aging Conn electronic. The organ was restored by Ed Boadway and Scot Huntington with no changes except the redecoration of the facade. Ed retained ownership of the organ and it was "on loan" to Prince of Peace during its time there, including after Ed moved to another organist position in Claremont. The Lutheran Church closed in 1985 at which time the organ was sold through the OCH to the Lutheran Church in Boyleston, Mass. and moved there without change. At an unknown time thereafter, Jeremy Cooper substantially altered the organ, including replacing the Dulciana with a double-draw mixture and expanding the pedal Bourdon to full compass. The Boyleston church replaced the Midmer with a 2-manual George Reed organ obtained through the OCH in 1999, the organ was sold to St. Andrew's Episcopal in Turners Fall, Mass. and was moved there by David Hagberg who states he moved the organ without further changes. The Turners Falls church closed in 2018 (the parish merged with a church in neighboring Greenfield), and the building was acquired by a developer to become an Air B&B guest residence, the organ was consequently given by the developer and the St. Andrew's congregation to St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Claremont, N.H. where it was moved and restored by volunteers under the direction of Lubbert Gnodde in time for Easter 2018. At some point after its time at Prince of Peace, the right side of the case unfortunately disappeared. -Scot Huntington
2023-01-02 - In spite of this organ being one of the few remaining unaltered Midmer tracker organs, this organ was unrecognizably altered tonally either before it left Boylston or while in Turners Falls. I have unsubstantiated correspondence that states the organ was altered by the party who removed it from Boylston. The organ is now irreversibly altered. I examined the organ in Turners Falls prior to my trying to find a home for it, and the following are the alterations I observed: - The right case side is unfortunately lost without a trace, likely removed to accomodate the installation of a curtain valve. - The manual windchest has been retabled, with extensive tonal, toeboard, slider, and rackboard changes. - The original 13-note Bourdon 16', sounding the bottom octave of the 27-note pedal board only, was enlarged to the full 27-note compass by Jeremy Cooper in 1985, with recycled pipes on the altered original windchest, new squares and key action. - The Open Diapason was repitched to become a 4' Octave with a new top octave; the Violina 4' was rescaled larger and repitched as an cut-down Open Diapason 8' from tenor-e; the Dulciana was cut down to become a 2' Fifteenth with new treble extension pipes, and was installed on a new teoboard intended for the future installation of Mixture pipes (never installed) on a rebuilt stop action having a double-draw stop action (2' on first draw, mixture on full draw). Only the Midmer Stop'd Diapason remains in what had been an unaltered historic organ prior to its ruin. Following its relocation to St. Joseph's R.C. in Claremont, N.H. it has been tonally altered yet again. -Scot Huntington
Source: Taken from the organ. February 2018
David Hagberg (1999)
Originally Reuben Midmer & Sons, 1887
Episcopal Church
Turners Falls, Mass.
MANUAL
8' Open Diapason tenor-e; old Violina 4' repitched, cut-down
8' Stopped Diapason Treble tenor-c
8' Stopped Diapason Bass
4' Octave orig. Open Diapason 8', repitched and cut down
I-II Mixture orig. Dulciana cut down to 2' on double-draw
stop action, additional Mixture pipes prepared for
PEDAL
16' Bourdon 1-13 original, 14-27 spurious
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