First Church of Christ, Unitarian
725 Main Street
Lancaster, MA
OHS convention: 1983
Images
2022-12-04 - Church interior (Photograph by Stephen St. Denis/Stephen St. Denis)
2022-12-04 - Keydesk (Photograph by Stephen St. Denis/Stephen St. Denis)
2022-12-04 - Organ façade and keydesk (Photograph by Stephen St. Denis/Stephen St. Denis)
2022-12-04 - Builder's nameplate (Photograph by Stephen St. Denis/Stephen St. Denis)
2022-12-04 - Organ in the rear gallery (Photograph by Stephen St. Denis/Stephen St. Denis)
2020-10-17 - Church exterior (Photograph by Stephen St. Denis/Stephen St. Denis)
Consoles
Main
- Organ type: Traditional With a Keyboard Cover That Can Be Lifted To Form a Music Rack
- Console position: Keydesk Attached
- 2 manuals
- 18 stops
- 16 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: 58 notes
- Pedal compass: 27 notes
- Pedal Type: Flat Straight
- Expression Type: Balanced Expression Shoes/Pedals (Details Unknown)
- Combination action: Fixed Mechanical
Notes
2004-10-30 - Status Note: There 1983. -Database Manager
2004-10-30 - Altered Reuben G. Reed 1884; rebuilt Andover 1963, #40, 2-19. -Database Manager
2014-05-01 - Updated through online information from Barbara Owen. -Database Manager
2014-07-03 - Updated through online information from James R. Stettner. -Database Manager
2022-12-05 - From page 95 “The Organ Historical Society, Inc. Organ Handbook 1983”. Published for the 28th Annual National Convention of the Society: The elegant brick church, internationally famous as one of the finest works of the Boston architect, Charles Bulfinch, was built in 1816, and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1971. It is still heated by wood stoves….
The first organ in the building was installed in 1841; research thus far failed to reveal who built it, or what became of it when it was replaced in 1869 by the present instrument, built by Wm. B.D. Simmons & Co. In 1884, Reuben G. Reed made minor mechanical changes and added a Pedal Bourdon 16’ in 1963, the Andover Organ Co. added one rank to the Mixture II, and added the Sesquialtera II ; at the same time they replaced the two strings in the Swell, a Keraulophon 8’ (TC) and Salicional 8” (TC), with the Flautino 2” and the Quint1 1/3; however, the basic character of the Simmons is unchanged.
-Stephen St. Denis
Stoplist
Stoplist from 1983 OHS Handbook Source: Source not recorded Date not recorded
Lancaster, Massachusetts
First Church of Christ, Unitarian
Wm. B.D. SIMMONS & Co., 1869
Reuben G. Reed, 1884 – Pedal Addition & Expression Modification
Andover Organ Co., R-___, 1963 - Tonal Changes
GREAT COUPLERS (Drawknob)
[8] Open Diapason 58 Swell and Pedal
[8] Dulciana (tc) 46 Great and Pedal
[8] Hohl Flute (tc) 46
[8] Stop'd Diap. Bass 12 Swell and Great
[4] Principal 58
[4] Flute Harmonic 58
[2] Fifteenth 58 FOOT LEVERS (Unlabeled; l - r)
[II] Sesquialtera [17-19] 116 Gr. Piano -
[III] Mixture [22-26-29] 174
[8] Trumpet 58 Gr. Forte -
SWELL (Expressive) PEDAL MOVEMENTS
[8] Stop'd Diapason (tc) 46 Swell Expression (bal.)
[4] Principal 58
[2] Flautino 58
[1-1/3] Quint 58
[8] Oboe (tc) 46 MISC. CONTROLS
[8] Bassoon 12 Bellows Signal
Tremblant
ACTION: Mech. Key & Stop
PEDAL
[16] Stop'd Sub Bass 27 VOICES: 16 STOPS: 18
[16] Bourdon Bass 27
Pedal Check RANKS: 19 PIPES: 1,028
[Received from Barbara Owen 2014-05-01.]
[Amended and updated by Jim Stettner 2014-07-02.]
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