1910 ca. - Church exterior (Vintage postcard/Jim Stettner)
1910 ca. - Church exterior (Vintage postcard/Jim Stettner)
Note: Not extant. Not playable. (in this location)
2024-07-11 - The builder of the organ was identified in "A Homemade Organ: Installed in the Christian Church at Watsonville," Salinas (CA) Daily Index, Saturday, October 13, 1900, [4], Newspapers.com, https://www.newspapers.com/image/527684590. The organ's destruction along with the church building was reported in "Watsonville Church Burned," Salinas (CA) Daily Index, Sunday morning, July 6, 1902, [3], Newspapers.com, https://www.newspapers.com/image/527825925. These articles are reproduced under "Documents." The only information in the entry on Martin Hetherington in David Fox's Guide to North American Organbuilders is that he was in Springfield, Massachusetts, and received three patents. Fox did not report that according to the patent documents, Hetherington assigned each of the three patents to J. W. Steere & Son. Hetherington is listed as "emp J. W. Steere & Son" in the Springfield city directories for 1894, 1895, 1896. He is listed with no occupation or employer in the 1897 and 1898 directories; the 1899 directory states, "rem to California." The 1900 U.S. census recorded him as resident in Watsonville, CA; born "Nov 1856"; age 43; birthplace England; immigration year 1893; "Organ Builder." "Local Laconics" (column), Santa Cruz Evening Sentinel, Tuesday, Dec 22, 1903, [3], reported that "Martin Hetherington of Watsonville . . . died in Fresno Sunday." He had gone there to install an organ in the Catholic Church. The death notice also states, "He arrived in Watsonville six years ago [sic], when he built the pipe organ of the Christian Church, since burned." -Charles Eberline
Regrettably, it is not possible to display the information about the sponsor of this pipeorgandatabase entry or if there is a sponsor. Please see About Sponsors on Pipe Organ Database.