Scot Huntington on April 5th, 2023:
Norwichtown is the original 17th-c. settlement for this place. In the 19th-c. a new mill center was build several miles south on the river and railroad lines, christened simply Norwich to differentiate it from Norwichtown. This, the original church, was simply the Congregational Church until splinter congregations moved to the new industrial center further south, at which point it rechristened itself First Congregational to declare its status and relationship to the sanctioned sub-groups. The building is now the oldest church building in the township of Norwich. The organ here had a complicated life. First a two-manual E. & G.G. Hook is installed in the rear gallery; moved to the front and expanded with a new full-compass Swell, 3-stop pedal, short-compass bass extensions, and case wings, by Gilbert and Butler. The new action played like a truck and it was shortly thereafter electrified by the Hall Organ Co. with a couple minor tonal changes. The Andover Organ Co. retrackerized the organ in the 1960s as the first modern retrackerization of an antique American organ, but retaining Hall's electric stop action. Local builder Richard Hamar performed minor tonal tonal restorations and action readjustment in the 1970s. Finally in 1995, Jeremy Cooper deconstructed the organ to its original Hook specification, retaining all the surviving Hook material, and adding a new high-pitched neo-baroque mixture. The later G&B case and pedal additions were removed, and an all new mechanical action was installed with a reconstruction of the original keydesk, with the down-sized instrument being returned to its original position in the rear gallery. The original case was redecorated at this time in a modern fanciful rendition of the original faux rosewood finish.

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Jim Stettner on April 5th, 2023:
Location listed on the Hook opus list as Norwichtown.

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Database Manager on October 30th, 2004:
Electrified & enlarged Gilbert & Butler 1890s, 2-20. Tracker action rebuilt by Andover 1966.