History

During the years 1911 and 1912 the church was undergong major repairs both outside and in. Adornments and features were fixed on the outside and painting was done. Plans to enlarge the vestry and change the appearance of the sanctuary were being formulated. On April 18, 1911, a committee for interior repairs and organ concerns was appointed. It included Deacon Arthur E. Dutton, George Blackadar, and Jessie Holt, the Church Clerk.

At a meeting of the Church on January 13, 1912, a vote was taken to purchase an Estey organ for $1600. Some reservations must have been entertained, as the meeting was continued to the following week. On January 20, William Goodwin submitted the specifications for an Estey organ that would have cost $2000. This proposal was received, and a decision postponed until more research could be done.

On February 3, 1912, the Church appointed Rev. Charles Ellis as a committee of one to research diffrerent makes of organs and to purchase one whose cost would not exceed $2000. Rev. Ellis was in his 15th year of ministry at Centeral Baptist. He was instrumental in encouraging the work on the building, and had the congregation's trust. He went about the task with his usual energy. Meanwhile, work had begun on the sanctuary. The congregation would not use the main auditorium from February 4th through May 26th because of the construction.

The church was called together on March 1 to consider the choice of an organ. At that meeting, Rev. Ellis resigned from the "committee of one", asking the congregation to decide which organ to purchase. Nearly unanimously, the congregation voted to purchase a $1600 Estey organ, to be built to the specifications of available space in the front of the sanctuary. The Estey Organ Company was located in Brattleboro, Vermont. The committee appointed to oversee the purchase and installation of this instrument included: Emma J. Perham, chairman, George M. Seeton, and Raymond W. Dutton.

The organ is listed as # 1003 on the Estey pipe organ registry.

The Annual Meeting of the Church, held on April 6, 1912, dealt with three items concerning the organ, already under construction in the church. First, the treasurer was granted authority to borrow $800 to meet bills related to the interior repairs and organ installation; second, the clerk was requested to write a letter of thanks to Mr. Andrew Carnegie for his gift of $750 towards the organ purchase; and third, it was voted to expend approximately $200 for the blower and motor to power the organ.

The organ was played for the first time on June 16, 1912! The next day a reception was given in the expanded vestry (currently the Ellis room), to honor the Rev. Charles Ellis for his fifteen years of service to Central Baptist Church of Chelmsford. Refreshments were enjoyed. The congregation then moved into the Church auditorium to listen to the new organ as played by Mr. Albert French of Lowell. Rev. Dilts acted as toastmaster. Deacon Arthur Dutton presented Rev. Ellis with a purse containing fifteen $5 gold pieces. Rev. Ellis responded with words of appreciateion and several others made short speeches, including: Rev. S. Cummings, Rev. Dame, Rev. Bishop, and Mrs. Warren Floyd.

On June 27, 1912 Claude Saunier, a representative of the Estey Organ Company, gave an organ recital at the church. He was assisted by Mr. E.E. Adams, Mrs. G.H. Spaulding, and Mr. C.O. Allen.

The dedication of the organ was held in the evening of July 2, 1912. Rev. Ellis presided over the service, which included music by the choir; scripture read by Rev. E.A. Roadman; prayer of dedication by Rev. V.H. Bishop; sermon by Rev. A.R. Dilts; and an address by Rev. S. Cummings.

The organ remained in continuous use for worship service until February of 2005, when a tear in the leather top of the reservoir made it too noisy to play. An organ committee consisting of Walter Toney, Carol DiMaio and Christopher Glidden researched options and solicited proposals from available organ specialists. Andrew Rega loaned an electronic piano with organ voice to the church, with speakers loaned by Gino DiMaio.

The story of the choice of technicians is of interest here. Walter Toney was visiting the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, and got talking with the organist there. He mentioned our organ woes, and was told that there was a specialist in our vicinity who was the very best in the business. His name was Thad Outerbridge. He was one of the people on our list of potential repairmen.

In the summer, a decision was made by the Deacons to hire Thad Outerbridge to re-leather the reservoir; do needed repair on the stops; remove switches, wires and stops related to the organ mounted in the rear of the sanctuary; and tune the instrument. An appeal was made to the congregation for $7025 to do this work, and it was donated and/or pledged before work started in September. These repairs were completed by mid-October by Mr. Outerbridge and his assistant, Armando. The organ was heard again in worship on Sunday, October 15. The organ was redidicated on Thanksgiving Sunday, Novermber 20, 2005 in the regular morning worship service.

Organist, Jeff Williams, was able to work with the occasional sticking key or faulty stop in order to make the organ a featured part of worship. For a couple of years the organ has had some issues, which have forced a decision about the future. The Deacons called for the formation of an organ committee in the fall of 2010, to explore the options. A committee made up of Wes Dull, Andrew Rega, Gino DiMaio, Rob Koethe, Jeff Williams, and Pastor Tom Goldthwaite looked into the matter and discovered that the organ, being unmodified from its original design, is an instrument of historical significance. We have resolved to restored this instrument as closely as possible to its original condition. The organ will be 100 years old in 2012. A celebration of that event is already in the minds of many.

Return to Top

Organ Fund

The 1912 Estey Organ, opus #1003 in our church is in need of complete re-leathering, except for the reservoir which was done in 2005. We are trying to raise funds for this project. The organ is one of only a handful in its original condition. It has never been electrified or significantly altered. It is still in playable condition except that some notes do not sound, while others stick, depending on the stops that are in use. The restoration is expected to give the organ at least 50 years of additional low-maintenance service.

Among the more interesting facts concerning this organ: a significant gift towards its purchase came from Andrew Carnegie, millionaire philanthropist, who had a passion for organ music. He donated $750 of the original $1600 purchase price. Pictures of the organ can be found on our website as well as the Estey Organ virtual museum site at: www.esteyorgan.org (Go to the opus list and click on #1003)

To make a donation to the Organ Fund, checks should be payable to:
Central Baptist Church Organ Fund

Send to:

Central Baptist Church
9 Academy Street
Chelmsford, MA 01824

Return to Top