History of our Aeolian-Skinner Pipe Organ

Praise the Lord with the lyre;
Make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.

Christians have sung since the beginning of our life. The early church sang the psalms they were accustomed to singing in the synagogue service. To this collection our forbears also added psalms, canticles, and hymns of specific Christian composition.  The introduction of musical instruments in the sung praise of God in the house of Christian worship came several centuries later, but for more than a millennium and one-half organs in particular have been an integral part of the Christian community's praise of God.

The Aeolian Skinner Pipe Organ that graces the sanctuary of Memorial Presbyterian Church was installed in 1970, replacing the original Roosevelt instrument installed in 1889 when Henry Morrison Flagler constructed the church building. The three-manual Roosevelt, which served the congregation for eighty years, was rebuilt and enlarged in 1927 when an additional manual and fifty-six ranks were added.

In 1969 Everett Eubanks, church organist, and David Redding, minister, sought funding for a new organ. They approached Mr. and Mrs. Howard M. Johnson, long-term members of the church, who accepted the challenge and stepped forward to fund the main portion of the new instrument.

The Aeolian-Skinner Company, a prominent Boston organ builder, was selected in 1970 to build Memorial's new instrument. The organ's wind chests and pipes were installed well behind the mahogany screen in the front of the chancel to allow room for a choir to be seated in the space between the pipes and the screen. Prior to that time, vocal music was normally presented only in front of the screen by small groups and soloists. In 1971 the "Antiphonal Organ" located in the north end of the cruciform-shaped sanctuary, and the "Bombarde Organ" positioned behind the main organ were completed. These additions rounded out the magnificence of the instrument we enjoy today. 

At the time of installation, Memorial's new organ was considered the finest in the Southeastern part of the United States and one of three "American Classic Organs" of the era built by Aeolian-Skinner.

The organ console has four manuals (keyboards) with pedal, seventy registers, and eight divisions, and a total of ninety ranks of pipes?over five thousand. The largest pipes are sixteen feet tall.

In 1995, Knowlton Pipe Organs, of Davidson, NC, modernized the organ console by installing computerization technology and a combination action (provided by Artisan Classic Organ of Ontario, Canada).

In the summer of 2000, the console was rebuilt and restored by Roger Colby, Inc. of Johnson City, TN.  Computerized combination action with MIDI capabilities was also installed.  This included the addition of six remote locations from which to play the pipe organ through MIDI keyboards.

The Aeolian-Skinner organ is played for both the 8:30 and the 11:00 a.m. services on Sundays and on other church occasions. Organ concerts throughout the year are also offered, including a weekly series on Wednesdays during Lent.