James R. Baird
2009

Updated through online information from Fr. Truslow-Trudeau, OSB.

Updated by James Baird, the builder. Pedalboard was added later, by unknown builder. It is a pull-down only, no pipes. Henry Erben Organ. This small organ was built by Henry Erben of New York City in 1851 for the Presbyterian Church in Kearneysville, Virginia. Kearneysville is now part of West Virginia. Erben founded a small factory in Baltimore in 1847 to build organs for the growing demand for his organs in the south. The Baltimore factory closed in 1863. This organ was built in the Baltimore factory, and is the only known extant organ that was built in Erben's shop in Baltimore. The silver nameplate reads:

Henry Erben
Baltimore
1851

The organ has a pine case, painted white with gold trim and a black crown. The one manual keyboard has 56 keys, from CC to g3 and a 13 note pull down pedalboard, which is believed to have been added later and may not be original to the organ.

The size of the organ case is approximately 3 feet deep, 5'6" feet wide, and 8'8" tall.

The disposition of the organ is as follows:

Open Diapason 8' - 39 pipes
Dulciana 8' - 39 pipes
Stpd. Diapason (bass) - 17 pipes
Principal 4' - 56 pipes
Fifteenth - 39 pipes - New pipes from Stinkins, which replaced the original 4' Chimney Flute, ca. 1962 by Cleveland Fisher of Manassas. Extended 17 pipes in 2013 by Jim Baird for full compass of 56 pipes.

The original hand pumped bellows (feeders) and reservoir had been replaced with a modern reservoir with poppet valve, ca 1962. The original hand pump is extant. A 1/4" HP motor/blower by Spencer presently supplies air for the organ.

History of the 1851 Erben
-Built for the Presbyterian Church in Kearneysville, Virginia, now West Virginia, 1851.
-Moved to the Presbyterian Church in Leesburg, Virginia, 1901.
-Moved to the Old Presbyterian Meeting House, Alexandria, Virginia by Lewis & Hitchcock, Inc.,
1956, and placed in the front of the gallery.
-Moved to Immanuel Presbyterian Church, McLean, Virginia by Cleveland Fisher, 1962.
-Moved to the home of Ira (Ben) Faidley, McLean, Virginia by Jim Baird ca. 1980.
-Moved to St. Luke's Anglican Catholic Church, Fredericksburg, Virginia, by Jim Baird and David Dutton, 2009.

Please note: This organ is in the OHS Database as being built for Trinity Episcopal Church in Shepardstown, W.VA. in 1851. This is not that Erben organ. The town of Kearneysville, is written on the inside of the organ case for shipping.

To Presbyterian, Leesburg, VA 1901 (Organ ID 4815).