W. W. Kimball Co. (1896)

Location:

Union Sunday School
505 Larrabee Street
Clermont, IA 52135 US
Organ ID: 2876

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Status and Condition:

  • The organ has been rebuilt or substantially revised.
  • The organ's condition is good, in regular use.
We received the most recent update for this instrument's status from Database Manager on May 13, 2018.

Technical Details:

  • Chests: Pneumatic
  • 27 ranks. 3 divisions. 2 manuals. 23 stops. 24 registers.
All:
  • Chest Type(s): Pneumatic chests
  • Position: In a case at the front of the room.
  • Built by W. W. Kimball Co.
We received the most recent update for this division from Jim Stettner on April 23, 2020.
Main:
  • Built by W. W. Kimball Co.
  • Manuals: 2
  • Divisions: 3
  • Stops: 23
  • Registers: 24
  • Position: Keydesk attached.
  • Manual Compass: 61
  • Pedal Compass: 30
  • Key Action: Tubular-pneumatic connection from key to chest.
  • Stop Action: Tubular-pneumatic connection between stop control and chest.
  • Console Style: Traditional style with a keyboard cover that can be lifted to form a music rack.
  • Stop Controls: Drawknobs in horizontal rows on terraced/stepped jambs.
  • Combination Action: Fixed mechanical system.
  • Combination Action Name: Kimball foot trundles
  • Swell Control Type: Balanced swell shoes/pedals, not in standard AGO position.
  • Pedalboard Type: Flat straight pedalboard.
  • Has Crescendo Pedal
We received the most recent update for this console from Jim Stettner on April 23, 2020.
Jim Stettner on June 18, 2021:

Updated through online information from Dr. Donna Story, PhD. -- The 1896 Kimball organ in Clermont, Iowa was restored by the Dobson Organ Builders in 2010.

We received the most recent update for this note from Jim Stettner on June 18, 2021.

Database Manager on May 07, 2018:
We received the most recent update for this note from Database Manager on May 13, 2018.

Database Manager on August 30, 2012:

Updated through online information from Richard C Greene. -- Information from Dobson Pipe Organ Builders, Ltd: --

This instrument is the largest remaining unaltered tubular-pneumatic organ built by W.W. Kimball. A restoration was undertaken in 1979-80 by the Hendrickson Organ Co. of St. Peter, Minnesota, with Barry Lund and Kenneth Acrea performing most of the work. Major aspects of the restoration include complete releathering and the revision of the wind system to properly accommodate the electric blower added in 1910. Complete details can be found in an article written by Acrea for the Fall 1981 issue of The Tracker.

The original Kimball windchest design employed valves that were riveted to their pneumatic motors, which made proper seating difficult. In the restoration, the rivets were replaced with screws to permit the valves to seat more securely. Unfortunately, these screws were unplated and have rusted, and have now become as rigidly attached to the motors as the rivets whose faults they were to eliminate.

Restorative repairs include the replacement of the unplated screws with plated ones, the rebushing of the manual and pedal keyboards, a thorough cleaning, and the repair of damage to pipework from cone tuning.

We received the most recent update for this note from Database Manager on April 09, 2020.

Database Manager on August 29, 2009:

Updated through on-line information from Stephen Hall. -- Based on the photos, the organ has seven composition pedals above the pedal board, the couplers are activated by drawknobs above the swell manual. The console is located on the left side of the case, and there are stenciled facade pipes on the sides as well as the front of the case. The organ is in regular use for concerts. The organ was renovated by 1979 by Hendrickson Organ Co. It has been outfitted with an electric blower circa 1910, but retains its orginal handoperated bellows. (information from city of Clermont website, and an online article in "The Newspapers of Fayette County" dated August 19, 2009. According to the article, the organ is to be removed in September 2009 and sent to Dobson Organ Company for restoration, and returned in Spring of 2010.)

We received the most recent update for this note from Database Manager on April 09, 2020.

Database Manager on January 25, 2008:

Updated through on-line information from Jerome Thompson. -- I am the Historic Sites Administrator, State Historical Society of Iowa. A grant to conserve the organ was received through Save America's Treasures. Funding to match the grant is among the Governor's budget recommendations for the next fiscal year beginning July 1, 2008. Legislative support for the matching funds is strong, which is optimistic.

We received the most recent update for this note from Database Manager on April 09, 2020.

Database Manager on April 05, 2007:

Updated through on-line information from Jerome L. Thompson. -- I am State Curator and Historic Sites Administrator with the State Historical Society of Iowa, which owns and manages this historic site. We have a proposal from Dobson Organ Company to conserve this organ. ... Funding for the work was requested in the agency budget request for capital repairs. The request was not recommended in the Governor's budget, but since the state legislature has not finished its work for the year, there is hope that the necessary funding will be appropriated.

We received the most recent update for this note from Database Manager on April 09, 2020.

Database Manager on October 30, 2004:

Status Note: There 1996

We received the most recent update for this note from Database Manager on April 09, 2020.

Database Manager on October 30, 2004:

Restored Hendrickson 1978. Owned by State of Iowa, Historical Trust. Historic Organ Recital 26 Apr 1987.

We received the most recent update for this note from Database Manager on April 09, 2020.
Source not recorded: Open In New Tab Stoplist from Dobson.
We received the most recent update for this stoplist from Jim Stettner on April 23, 2020.

Instrument Images:

Organ Case: Photograph by Robert Brock. Taken on 2016-09-25

Bellows Crank: Photograph by Robert Brock. Taken on 2016-09-25

Building Interior, Organ Case, and Keydesk: Photograph from the OHS Archives (ca. 1900).