Robert S. Rowland
1937

Correction to an earlier post after discussion with a previous owner. Following the closing of the church in Middlefield Center in the mid, not late 1960s, the organ was rescued by a local organbuilder who owned the organ for a year two before selling the organ through the Organ Clearing House to the Seattle radio station. At an unknown date but before the organ arrived in Middlefield, the organ of 5 ranks had lost its Open Diapason 8'. When Rowland moved the organ here, he installed a second-hand set of stringy Gamba pipes on the empty Diapason toeboard. The historic Greek Revival Middlefield church was converted to a residence and has been allowed to deteriorate to an unfortunate degree since.

Robert Rowland is identified in the Rowland opus list as the person moving the organ to Middlefield Center, in the book "Only His Organs Remain", by Richard Triumpho (2011). A quote from Rowland's recollection correspondence about his work to Albert Robinson, editor ofThe Tracker. He refers to the organ as "an old thing with about four ranks of pipes and resembling a bureau". He further states he put some dummy pipes in place of the center pleated cloth "to make it look like a real pipe organ".

Notes by Scot Huntington. -- Originally built for the Duane Mansion in Duanesburg, New York. At an unknown date late 19th century, the organ was moved to the Presbyterian church in Worcester, New York, about 35 miles distant. The organ served there until it was replaced by a two-manual Estey in the 1930s, and the organ was moved again here to the Presbyterian church in Middlefield Center, about 12 miles west. When the church closed in the late 1960's, the organ was sold to radio station KRAB in Seattle, Washington.