Welcome to First Baptist Church of Manchester Center, VT "The Community Church"

Johnson Tracker Organ


The organ was built by the Johnson Organ Company in 1896 in Westfield, Massachusetts, which constructed organs from the mid 1800's until the turn of the century. The Opus 843 "tracker-organ" is one of' less than 200 Johnson Tracker Organs still in existence. The organ was restored in 1974. It was built for the Proctor family chapel in Proctor and was purchased from them in 1926. C.W. Sykes, heading a committee of four, traveled to Proctor and disassembled the instrument, carefully marking each piece, loaded it into a freight car and brought it to Manchester where they laboriously reassembled it on evenings and weekends. The whole process took about one month to complete.
Excerpts from the church records of June 20, 1926 read: "special services were held this date at the morning service and the pipe organ was dedicated. The Equinox Orchestra assisted by Miss Smith gave a recital from 7 to 8 p.m. and following this, Rev. D. Cunningham Graham of the Congregational Church gave a short addres"." Recorded by A.J. Hicks, church clerk.
Organ
Great C-c’’’
Open Diapason 8
Melodia 8
Dulciana 8
Octave 4
Flute D’Amour 4
(wooden Rohrfluter to c’)
Twelfth 2 2/3
Fifteenth 2
Swell
Violin Diapason 8
Stop Diapason 8
Salicional 8
Aeoline 8
Fugara 4
Oboe and Bassoon 8
Tremolo
Pedal C-f’
Sub Bass 16
Pedale Check
Couplers
Sw/Gt, Gt, Sw/Ped 8
Combinations
Piano Great (melodia, Dulciana)
Forte Great (Full)
Great/Ped Reversible
Balanced swell pedal
Hand pump restored and operable in addition to electric blower
David Cobb June 2014
Barbara West 
Joe Stannard at the organ key board
Barry Mattison
Dave Cobb and Jeff Linebeck
                       Jeff Linebeck  Nov. 27, 2016