In the beginning
The first instrument in the newly built Saint John’s Episcopal Church (mid-1950s, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places), a garden variety five-rank M. P. Möller, was relocated from the wooden structure that was built across the street from the present location. A few years after installation in the new reverberant church, plans for enlargement were considered and continued for about ten years. Mr. Keith Huffstettter, a member of the church, mechanical engineer, and organ hobbyist/aficionado, began to seek from various sources additional pipework to enlarge the organ. From the mid-1960s until the decision to rebuild the organ was approved by the vestry in April 2023, Mr. Huffstetter added ranks, bringing the total to twenty-seven, along with a three-manual Möller electro-pneumatic drawknob console.
Mix and match
Relying on word of mouth and reading material from trade journals, Keith embarked on the project with the best of intentions, gathering chests, reservoirs, relays, and many ranks of pipes, installing them over ensuing years as time and finances permitted, per his abilities and expertise. However, with little or no consideration to releathering, serviceability, proper scale, and wind pressures, among other issues, the organ was little more than a hodge-podge. His ultimate goal was to provide for Saint John, a room that seats about 300 people with no balcony, an instrument that would approach the scale and grandeur of the organ in the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York City, which much later he admitted was a pipe dream, biting off more than he could chew.
The great divide
From the beginning of the first enlargement project, there was never a clear, distinct Choir division, notwithstanding the console. The so-called Choir division pipework and chests were located along with the Swell, Great, and Pedal, all in one chamber without individual expression between divisions. The second rebuild project corrected all the deficiencies by providing a new Choir chamber with appropriate Choir stops, removing from the Swell chamber the Great division, and exposing the Great on new cantilevered chests on either side of the chancel, installing new expression control, correcting all the wind pressures, scale errors, and providing a new console and organ control system, which eliminated the “bowl of spaghetti” wiring throughout.
Where do we go from here?
The new total rank count is forty, which includes ten mixture ranks—Swell III Plein Jeu, Great IV Fourniture, and Choir III Zimbel—along with a hooded Trumpet on the Great, with resonators facing down the nave, two cymbalsterns (eight-bell lower pitch and six-bell higher pitch), independent principal chorus in the Swell, and complete chorus in the Great. The 32′ Contra Bourdon in the Pedal is not a resultant! Because the Swell chamber is an “L” configuration with the long side facing the chancel, there was room for the bottom five pipes to be mounted horizontally, suspended from the ceiling, and the remaining seven pipes installed normally on the short side along with the remainder of the rank. Fortunately, the chamber has a fourteen-foot ceiling. The instrument was rebuilt along American Classic lines, utilizing ranks from the previous rebuild worthy of retention, has a three-manual all-electric drawknob console mounted on a moveable platform to permit relocation to concert position in the center of the chancel for recital performance, and a twenty-five-tube set of Deagan chimes on new action. The dedication program was uploaded to YouTube and can be seen at: Huffstetter Organ Dedication. The church’s intentions are to have performances at least once quarterly as an adjunct to its children’s and adult choirs.
Credit where credit is due
With grateful appreciation we acknowledge those companies that provided quality products and services along with people directly involved with the second project rebuild, without whose time, talent, and financial assistance the original vision of Mr. Huffstetter would not be completed.
Keith Huffstetter, donor
Russel Meyer, president, Meyers Pipe Organ Company, consultant
Schantz Organ Company, Great principal chorus, relocated
Wicks Organ Company, console
Opus II Organ Control Systems, console and organ control
Peterson Electro-Musical Products, 16′ Pedal Principal, 12 notes
Organ Supply Industries, Bryan Timm, vice-president, expression control
Thomas L. McCook, president, Widener & McCook Co., consultant
Charles Owings, assistant/consultant
Corley Easterling, apprentice
David M. McCain, mentor, advisor
Drew DeMann, carpenter, new Great chest casework
The faithful congregation and friends of Saint John’s Episcopal Church
—Michael Proscia, president,
Michael Proscia Organbuilder, Bowdon, Georgia
Great (Manual II)
16′ Gemshorn (Choir)
8′ Principal 61 pipes
8′ Gemshorn (Choir)
8′ Rohr Floete 61 pipes
4′ Octave 61 pipes
4′ Holz Gedackt 61 pipes
4′ Wald Floete 61 pipes
2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes
1-1⁄3′ Fourniture IV 244 pipes
8′ Herald Trumpet 61 pipes
Great to Great 4
Swell to Great 16, 8, 4
Choir to Great 16, 8, 4
Chimes 25 tubes
Swell (Manual III, enclosed)
16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (ext) 12 pipes
8′ Geigen Diapason 61 pipes
8′ Chimney Flute 61 pipes
8′ Salicional 61 pipes
8′ Celeste 61 pipes
4′ Principal 61 pipes
4′ Harmonic Flute 61 pipes
2-2⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes
2′ Octavin 61 pipes
2′ Harmonic Piccolo (ext) 12 pipes
1-3⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes
1-1⁄3′ Plein Jeu III 183 pipes
8′ Trompette 73 pipes
8′ Hautbois 73 pipes
4′ Clarion (ext) 12 pipes
Tremulant
Swell to Swell 16, 4
Choir (Manual I, enclosed)
8′ Copula 61 pipes
8′ Concert Flute 61 pipes 8′ Gemshorn 73 pipes
8′ Unda Maris 61 pipes
4′ Spitz Principal 61 pipes
4′ Koppel Floete 61 pipes
2′ Block Floete 61 pipes
1-1⁄3′ Larigot 61 pipes
1′ Super Octave 61 pipes
1-1⁄3′ Zimbel III 183 pipes
8′ Trompette (Swell)
8′ Clarinet 61 pipes
8′ Herald Trumpet (Great)
Tremulant
Choir to Choir 16, 4
Swell to Choir 16, 8, 4
Pedal
32′ Contra Bourdon (ext) 12 pipes
16′ Principal (ext) 12 pipes
16′ Subbass (ext) 12 pipes
16′ Gemshorn (Choir) 12 pipes
16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Swell)
8′ Octave 32 pipes
8′ Bourdon 32 pipes
4′ Choral Bass 32 pipes
4′ Holz Gedackt (Great)
16′ Contra Trompette (Swell)
16′ Bassoon Hautbois (Swell)
8′ Trompette (Swell)
4′ Clarion (Swell)
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Choir to Pedal
Accessories
Cymbalstern, 14 bells (Swell keyslip)
10 General pistons (thumb and toe)
7 Great pistons (thumb)
7 Swell pistons (thumb)
7 Choir pistons (thumb)
7 Pedal pistons (toe)
General Cancel
Great to Pedal reversible
Swell to Pedal reversible
Choir to Pedal reversible
Balanced Swell expression shoe
Balanced Choir expression shoe
Sforzando reversible (thumb and toe)
Opus II control system/combination action with transposer, playback, 999 memory levels, and next/previous functions
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