Better Pipe Organ Database

Unknown Builder (1960s)

Note: Not extant. Not playable. (in this location)

Images

2023-08-19 - Building in which Dieffenbach was installed and playing. (Photograph by Jack Umholtz/Jack Umholtz)

2000's just before it was destroyed - Great pipework from RH side case opening behind facade. Note scale difference between the two wooden stopped flute ranks. (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's just before it was destroyed - Great pipework from LH side case opening behind facade. Note windways for facade pipes at bottom right. (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's just before it was destroyed - Great pipework from RH side of walkboard. Note Pedal Subbass pipes in the background, swell shades on right, walkboard between. (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's just before it was destroyed - Reservoir, complete with bricks used by the owner to adjust pressures as temperature and humidity changed. (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's just before it was destroyed - Swell Rollerboards from the LH back of the case. (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's just before it was destroyed - Swell rollerboards from outside RH back of case. Swell key action ran under the reservoir to the back of the case, up to these rollerboards. (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's just before it was destroyed - Keydesk. 8 of the lower knobs were Great stops, 6 of the upper knobs were Swell stops, 1 knob per side a Pedal stop, one knob per side a coupler. (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's just before it was destroyed - Pedal Sub Bass pipes from case opening, LH side of case, just behind facade. LH side of swell box on right, along with sliders for 3 stops. (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's just before it was destroyed - Swell pipework. Stop Diapason, wooden Clarab Fl. or 4' Flute (unknown), metal pipework not identified. (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's just before it was destroyed - Inside RH side of case from back, reservoir below, Pedal Subbass pipes to right behind stop controls, Great walkboard in foreground at top of photo. (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

Unknown - Swell shades viewed from RH opening in case just behind facade. (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's just before it was destroyed - Back of manuals from above reservoir inside case. Note great rollerboard enclosure above and console stop control linkage on right. (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's just before it was destroyed - Great pipework from LH side of walkboard. Note Pedal Open Bass pipes in the background, swell shades on left, walkboard in between. (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's just before it was destroyed - Great pipework from inside case above reservoir. Note great walkboard at bottom of photo. (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's just before it was destroyed - Pedal open bass pipes and swell shade linkage. Taken from RH case opening. RH side of swell box on left, two of three sliders for sw. stop action. (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's just before it was destroyed - Swell pipework. Stop Diapason, wooden Clarab Fl. or 4' flute (unknown), metal pipework not identified. (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's just before it was destroyed - Facade and keydesk with keydesk cover closed, fluorescent light "on" (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's just before it was destroyed - Facade and keydesk with keydesk cover closed, fluorescent light "out" (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's - RH Front corner of case with Great pipework visible in the opening. (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's - Keydesk. Panels below stop knobs were hinged as doors. (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's just before it was destroyed - RH Back corner of case showing hand pumping slot and wind pressure indicator. (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's - LH front of case, keydesk at right. (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's - RH Side of case from front corner (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's just before it was destroyed - RH Rear corner of case (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's - Facade (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

2000's - Facade and Keydesk (Photograph by Donald Erdman, submitted by Jack W Umholtz/Jack W Umholtz)

1991-10-12 - Jack W. Umholtz at the organ (Photograph by Jack Umholtz/Database Manager)

Consoles

Main

• Organ type: Traditional With a Keyboard Cover That Can Be Lifted To Form a Music Rack
• Console position: Keydesk Attached
• 2 manuals
• 16 stops
• 19 registers
• 3 divisions
• Key action Type: Mechanical (Details Unknown)
• Stop action Type: Mechanical
• Stop layout Type: Drawknobs in Horizontal Rows on Terraced/Stepped Jambs
• Manual compass: 54 notes
• Pedal compass: 18 notes
• Pedal Type: Flat Straight
• Expression Type: Trigger/Hitch-Down Expression
• Combination action: None

Notes

2009-08-08 - Identified through on-line information from Jack Umholtz. -- This instrument was installed as built except for the addition of a Kinetic blower and, at some point in time, a Tremolo, which was not activated via a drawknob, but had an "L" shaped wooden lever extending through between the left end of the Great keyboard and the first drawknob. -Database Manager

2009-08-09 - Updated through on-line information from Jack Umholtz. -Database Manager

2009-09-20 - Updated through on-line information from James R. Stettner. -Database Manager

2023-07-06 - The newly attached 27 photos of the Dieffenbach organ in Spring Glen were taken by Leo Erdman's son, Donald, with a Polaroid camera before the instrument was dismantled for disposal. I (Jack Umholtz) took digital photos of the Polaroid photos. Donald was careful to keep his photos in order in his packet. I, therefore, was also careful to submit the digital photos in the same order to the Database. I realize some of the photos are blurry, but I submitted them anyway, as the son of the owner saw fit to document this magnificent instrument to the best of his ability (none in the family were musicians or organists) before dismantling it. I, therefore, thought it equally important to submit all photos for review. -Jack W Umholtz

2023-07-07 - There were wooden panels that had a scroll pattern cut in them that belonged in the case openings on each side of the case adjacent to the Great pipework. Mr. Erdman showed them to me, but told me he didn't put them in for ease of access to the pipes. -Jack W Umholtz

2023-07-07 - The essay attached in "Documents" may not be 100% accurate, as it was pieced together from memory of conversations told me by various people years before. At the time of the conversations, documenting a path of ownership never occurred to me, so I did not write anything down at the time. Please add any corrections, updates, or further information on this instrument's history so we have correct documentation for posterity. -Jack W Umholtz

Stoplist

Stoplist taken from console around 2000 Source: Source not recorded Date not recorded

Spring Glen, Pennsylvania
Private Residence

Thomas Dieffenbach   1876   2/16

Great (54 notes, C to f''')
8' Open Diapason
8' Flute
8' Stop Diapason
8' Dulciana
4' Principal
4' Stop Diapason
3' Quint
2' Fifteenth
Manual Couple

Swell (54 notes, enclosed, C to f''')
8' Stop Diapason
8' Clarab Flute
8' Salicional
4' Flute
4' Tube Flute
4' Gamba
Tremolo

Pedal (18 notes)
16' Sub Bass
8' Octave Bass

Pedal Couple (Great only)

Trigger-type Swell Pedal. 

Front pipes arranged in 3 towers and 2 flats, 5-5-9-5-5. Label
reads "Thos. Dieffenbach Millersburg Berks Co. Penna." [Millersburg 
now known as Bethel, intersection of PA 501 and I-78.  Tube Flute 
appeared to be a chimney flute.

Stoplist and description for the Eppler's Union Church entry matches 
what I had in my records taken from the console in 2000.

The front pipes were...L-R....5 x Open Diapason, 5 x Octave, 9 x Open Diapason, 5 x Octave, 5 x Open Diapason.  The exposed pipes of the Open  Diapason only went down to FF or EE.  The remaining pipes for the rank 
to the bottom of the compass were stopped pipes located inside the case.

A Kinetic blower was in use to provide wind to the instrument.  The owner
told me he had the complete hand pumping mechanism and could connect it
whenever he would want to.

[Received on line from Jack Umholtz August 10, 2009.]

Documents

• (2009-01-01) Eppler's Union Church Dieffenbach, from Pine Grove to Spring Glen Story of the Erdman aquisition of the Eppler's Church Dieffenbach from Walter Christ of Pine Grove, compiled in 2009. -Jack W Umholtz

Related Pipe Organ Database Entries

• #9317 - Thomas Dieffenbach (1873)
• #3171 - Thomas Dieffenbach (1876)

Other Links

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