Antique organ finds Benton home
By LEWIS DELAVAN News editor

ENJOYING THE SOUND LEWIS DELAVAN PHOTO Gary Coleman tries the keyboard of First Presbyterian Church's new 1884 Jardine pipe organ. Admiring the organ are pastor Kris Crawford and elder Doyle Webb.

An antique organ will provide a new worship experience at First Presbyteran Church in Benton.

Built in 1884 in New York City, the Jardine pipe organ has been painstakingly reassembled by Gary Coleman of Salem in the past two weeks.

The organ was built for a Chatham, N.Y. church. It was later moved to another church, but that church closed in 1979.

A dedication concert will be held at 7 p.m. Friday in the sanctuary, at 501 N. East St. Pastor Kris Crawford said the church will still have its electric organ, as well as its praise band.

Coleman said the hardest part to install was the main wind chest, which weighs 500 pounds. Four people edged it into place.

A blower has been installed in another room to supply air. Some pipes are metal, but most are wooden.

He said Jardin & Sons was a top organ makers of the 19th Century.

Elder Ron Sasfai flew to Pittsburg, Pa., then drove to Erie, Pa. to see the refurbished organ in action.

He returned home, and later flew back with elder Richard Galbraith. They drove back to Benton last February with the organ, and it was placed into climate-controlled storage.

"The craftsmanship is something else," Coleman said. He pointed to the roller board, a wood-and-wire unit that transmits key movements to the appropriate pipe.

For example, the low C is the left-most key. The black key to its right is C-sharp. Its action is carried by the rollerboard to the right side.

Organist Mary Mozelle, associate organist of the National Presbyterian Church in Washington D. C., will unlock the "mysteries and magnificent sounds" of the 123- year-old organ through her narrated musical, "The Sights and Sounds of the Pipe Organ."

The program will be entertaining and educational for all ages, said Crawford.

Listeners are invited on a fascinating journey, both aural and visual, through time and sound, exploring the historical development of the pipe organ and taking a close-up look at why and how the pipe organ generates its wonderful sounds.

During "The Sights and Sounds of the Pipe Organ," listeners will learn how the pipe organ is made and played, and how it works.

The audience will hear the sounds of familiar organ hymns. They will see the organ console with its multiple manuals, pedals for the feet, a myriad of stops and pistons and a sample "pipe display" that will demonstrate the various sizes and shapes of pipes in each of the "families": Principals, flutes, strings and reeds. At the end of the presentation, members of the audience can actually hold these pipes to become better acquainted. Mozelle will close the dedication with a performance of the Toccata from Symphony No. 5 by Charles Marie Widor.

The project began years ago, soon after Crawford came to the church.

First Presbyterian is seeking to reach all ages with its traditional service and contemporary service.

For more information, call the church office at 315-7737. Additional biographical information on Mary Mozelle can be found on www.concertartistcooperative. com/mozelle.html and www.PipeOrganPro.com.