John Anderson on September 27th, 2020:
(Information provided by the Church and included in my concert program on February 26, 2006:) The original organ was built in 1876 as Opus 479 of the Johnson & Son Organ Company of Westfield [Massachusetts], and was installed in the former Second Congregational church building on Main Street. By 1960, the congregation had decided to move to Western Avenue. A contract was signed with the Berkshire Organ Company to move the organ to the new sanctuary, providing new windchests, bellows, and console. The floating Positiv division was created during this move. ("Floating" indicates that this division does not have a dedicated keyboard; its stops can be played on either the Great or the Swell.) Austin Organs, Inc. of Hartford, Connecticut did significant work on the organ in both 1972 and 1987, including the addition of a new and functional console, replacing and revoicing pipes, and installing a new windchest. By the end of the 1990s, the Positiv division was mostly non-functional, and it was apparent that additional work was required to bring the entire instrument to a playable condition. In 2003, the congregation engaged the firm of Czelusniak et Dugal, Inc. of Northampton, Massachusetts, for a substantial rebuilding of the entire instrument. The fruits of the project were heard last November on the Dedicatory Recital, and are evident again today.