2010-07-06 - Organ Case and Keyboard (Photograph from Michael Smith/Database Manager)
2012-02-15 - Updated through online information from Michael Smith. -- From church's Web site: In June 2002 there was an organ recital to celebrate the restoration of the 170 year-old, hand-pumped organ. Jay Zoller, designer for the Andover Organ Company and organ master at St. Andrew-s Church, Hopkinton made "a joyful noise unto the Lord.� <br><br>Of the 170 year history of the St. John-s, Dunbarton organ, very little in the way of fact is known. During the recent restoration by the Andover Organ Company (2002), we discovered nothing in the way of internal clues which would direct our attention to a particular builder or year. The "Empire� style of the case would point to the late 1830-s as a likely time that it was built. There were a number of farmers in New England who built organs during the slow winter months. Some of these chamber organs were rather crude in their inner workings. However, the St. John-s organ shows more refinement than some of these although not as meticulously finished as the work of the Hooks later in the century and whose name has been associated with the organ. The Hook name appears written on low C of the Stopped Diapason and on one rear panel, but it is probably because the Hooks took it in trade at some point in its history. A possibility for a builder might be J. D. Nutter of Mont Vernon who was known to have built some organs about that time. The case was undoubtedly built separately by a local cabinet maker. We do know that it belonged to St. Paul-s School, Concord, and was acquired from them in the early 1900-s. In any event, it is a delightful little organ and one of the few organs in the country in use today which is still pumped by hand. -Database Manager
Andover Organ Company archives (from 2005 restoration) Source: Source not recorded Date not recorded
St. John’s Episcopal Church Dunbarton, New Hampshire Unknown Builder, possibly J.D. Nutter, Mount Vernon, New Hampshire Ca. Late 1830’s? Manual - GGG-c4 – 66 notes Stopped Diapason Treble 49 Pipes Stopped Diapason Bass 16 Pipes* Viola 49 Pipes Principal 65 Pipes* Fifteenth 58 Pipes** Dummy knob with missing label may have been Bellows Signal Double rise reservoir with a single feeder operated by a hand pump as well as a foot pump. * GGG has no pallet or pipes and never did, but there is a manual key. ** In addition to the missing GGG, this stop never had its top 7 pipes. [Received from Michael Smith 2012-02-16.]
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