United Methodist Church Organ
category : Historic Churches
Built in 1886, the Cawker City United Methodist Church Organ is the oldest church organ in Kansas. Henry Pilcher's Sons of Louisville, Kentucky built the organ for the congregational church in Kinsley, Kansas. At the time, it was the only organ in Kansas west of Emporia. In 1931, the Cawker Methodists bought the organ and placed it in their native limestone church. This second home for the Pilcher organ was built in 1885 and rebuilt in 1911 after a fire practically destroyed the structure. By 1976, structural defects necessitated the razing of the stone church and a new sanctuary was built. At this time, the organ was restored by Reuter Organ Co., Lawrence, Kansas and installed in the new sanctuaryThe organ is typically English in construction and features painted pipes with "Victorian stencil" designs. Beside the obvious English stop names of Diapason and Dulcianna, other English features include a swell box for the upper manual, two foot levers which add or take off stops on the great for quick dynamic chanes, and the use of a 12 note common bass stop for each manual for the stops which begin at tenor C. The organ can be pumped by hand or winded by an electric motor. The case is of ash and oak and the key desk and pedalboard are of walnut.
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