E. & G. G. Hook
Opus No.582, 1871

The Baptist Church in Suncook, New Hampshire didn't close until 1944, at which time the pews, pulpit and organ were brought to Goshen. There is not enough room in the gallery to accommodate the organ, so a large hole was cut in the ceiling for the upper part of the organ and facade pipes to extend into the attic, and another hole was cut into the balcony rail for the back of the pedalboard to stick into, therefore with no room for a bench. A makeshift padded seat was nailed to the top of the balcony railing where the organist sits in a very cramped and dangerous position. At the time of the move, the powerful Oboe and Bassoon rank was replaced with a Flute Harmonique, but the Oboe was stored in a neighboring barn until 1999.

The Oboe pipes were acquired by A. David Moore for incorporation into his rebuild of the 1967 Hermann Hillebrand organ in the United Church on the Green, New Haven, Connecticut. Only the original blocks and shallots were reused, the resonators were scrapped and replaced with new ones of hammered lead to faciliate repitching the stop from A450 to A440 (short extensions of the original resonators between the stems and the bells would have sufficed).

The Goshen organ received a weeks worth of "glorified maintenance" by Ed Boadway and Scot Huntington in the summer of 1980. This work including a general cleaning, pipe washing, wood pipe stopper releathering, action renutting, replacing leather gaskets, and recovering the bottom of the windchest with new linen. The refurbished organ was rededicated by Earl Miller and friends on Sunday afternoon, August 18, 1980.

The organ is robustly voiced, especially so in the intimate acoustics of this small country church. With the original Oboe and octave coupler, the original plenum would have sound like a french Orgue d'choeur and the loss of the Oboe is to be greatly regretted. The replacement 4' flute is non-descript, and may be recycled Estey pipes. The divided stops make the organ extremely versatile musically, and is the only example of this type I have seen from this builder. While Hastings' name first appears on No. 570 this year, and the robust voicing under his nameplates are evident here. This organ, and several after it were labeled with older E. & G.G. nameplates, likely kicking around the nameplate box and being used up on the lesser instruments produced that year and not necessarily a sign of Hastings' influence or lack of it over the general construction of this instrument.

Status Note: There 1981.

From First Unitarian, West Newton, MA (probably removed in 1890); via Baptist, Suncook, NH c. 1916.