Felix F. Schoenstein & Sons
1966

This organ contains Phosphor Bronze contacts. They were an early material that is now replaced with copper. Very good and durable material aside from one main thing: they oxidize. In order to get more reliability, you need to use/ exercise it frequently in order for the arcing of electricity to clean the oxidation off.

There are on my latest list 10 or so dead notes. Likely more now. Last tuning/ service was April 2023.

The organ used for the first six months of services in the newly-built St. Peter’s Chapel was a 2.5 octave portable field organ, sometimes called a Chaplain’s organ. It was a one manual reed organ which the organist pumped using two foot pedals operating an internal bellows, and which could be folded-up into itself to become suitcase-sized and easily transportable. It was moved to the Chapel from the Administration building, where services had often previously been held.
During the initial six months of services, it became obvious that the small field organ was woefully inadequate for a space the size of the new Chapel, so Chaplain McAlister began a fund-raising drive to purchase a new and more appropriate organ. After soliciting donations from officers and enlisted men (or anyone else, for that matter), a new organ was purchased in November, 1901. The retail price was $400, but the crafty Chaplain managed to obtain a hefty initial discount of 40%, with an additional discount for paying in cash, and a $40 trade-in for the somewhat battered field organt. (Keep in mind that it was not uncommon for the Sunday offering to be 3 cents.) The final invoice came to $270.40, which bought a new “No. 40 Vocalion Organ” manufactured by Mason and Risch in Rochester, NY, and purchased from Kohler and Chase in San Francisco. It was a double-manual reed organ with pedals, but instead of foot operated bellows, it had a large handle protruding out its side, for which some lucky parishioner was paid 50 cents per Sunday for vigorously pumping.
By 1929, with a much larger attendance (and hence, offering), the decision was made to upgrade the pump organ to a pipe organ. This necessitated lowering the altar reredos (which previously touched the bottom of the Ascension window), and adding a 14’ x 9’ addition to the back of the sanctuary to accommodate the blower, relays, wind chests, pipes, swell shutters, and thousands of feet of wiring necessary to connect the console (placed where we see its successor today) with the noise-making bits. The new organ was a “Direct Electric” model, manufactured by Wicks Organ Company of Highland IL, and was purchased locally from Sherman Clay of San Francisco. It was a two manual, three rank organ with full pedal board, tabs rather than draw knobs, couplers, and a rudimentary combination system. It was well-received by the congregation, and even prompted a directive from the Commanding Officer that it should not be played or repaired except by qualified and trained individuals.
Everything at some point begins showing its age, and by 1966, the nearly 40 year-old console and original internals had become a noisy, wheezing, and problematic relic. A request was put forth for bids to upgrade the organ, and local organ builders Felix Shoenstein and Sons were awarded the $11,500 contract. A new Schantz two manual console with draw knobs, full AGO pedal board, couplers, crescendo pedal, and expanded combination system was installed, along with new pipe work, swell shutters and various other components. The old three ranks of pipes were incorporated into the new design as a unified organ, bringing the organ to its current seven ranks.
The organ is used frequently for weddings, memorial services, and concerts, and continues to be maintained by Schoenstein and Company of Benicia, to whom we are very grateful.