E. & G.G. Hook & Hastings
Opus No. 636, 1872

Updated by Scot Huntington, who maintains the organ. The facade decoration appears to be some kind of gold lacquer, varnish or paint, and there are no indications of a previous layer of decorative treatment. This is a catalog style No. 5 and the catalog states this model could have \"gilded\" or \"burnished tin\" facade pipes- 1-12 of the Open Diapason 8', stopped metal. This decoration has darkened a bit and the brush strokes have become very visible. The case is oak. Oral history states the organ was hand-pumped until the Delaware rebuild in the early 1960's - reportedly done concurrently with the installation of their instrument in the chapel of the nearby South Kent School (one source thinks 1959-61, another says 1964). The organ was in unaltered original condition until the Delaware work, which altered the expression, winding, and made tonal changes. The case design is identical to page 8 of the 1871 catalog circular, seen on page 124 of the Hook opus list compiled by Bill Van Pelt and published by the OHS in 1991. Subsequently altered further by Geddes, again sources disagree on the dates which range from 1964-1968. After receiving little use in recent years due to the lack of an organist and clergy resistance to music in the gallery instead of up front, the organ is again in regular use with congregational appreciation. There is forward movement in 2019, towards having the organ restored.

Altered Delaware 1960, 2-9; altered Geddes 1964, 2-? (Replaced Delaware mixture with used Austin string on direct electric chest with under key contacts).