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The large and historic organ at First Congregational Church is seen April 22 in South Paris. The organ is unique in its age and that it has never been digitized with electrical features like most modern organs are outfitted with. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)

The campaign to raise $123,000 to restore South Paris First Congregational Church’s antique pipe organ kicks off May 24 with a performance by well-known local tuba ensemble Low Commotion.

The concert starts at 2 p.m. at the Deering Memorial Community Center at 39 Main St. in South Paris. 

The organ was originally purchased in 1890 for $400 after three years of fundraising by the church’s Ladies Circle. It included a sizable donation provided by Charles and Samuel Morse, of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

One notable detail about the Deacon Elisha Morse Memorial Organ is that musician and scholar Hermann Kozschmar, namesake of the famed organ at Merrill Auditorium in Portland, presided over its dedication 136 years ago.

The original ivory keys on the 1890 Deacon Elisha Morse Memorial Organ at the First Congregational Church at 17 East Main St. in South Paris are seen April 22. The alignment of some keys will be fixed during a restoration project beginning in the summer 2027. The church is fundraising for the work, which will be done by David. E Wallace & Co., of Gorham. The four-person team at services organs throughout New England (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)

The organ is also one of a known few in Maine that has never been digitized or otherwise restored.

It is still played during church services, currently by organist Faye Hill. Former Otisfield resident Virginia Noble, now 90 and living in Litchfield, was the organist for more than 50 years.

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West Paris resident and Low Commotion Director James Bennett is leading the organ restoration committee.

West Paris resident James Bennett checks the keys on the organ at the First Congregational Church at 17 East Main St. in South Paris on April 22. The organ was built in 1890 and Bennett is leading the effort to have it restored for the first time. All of its features, from the hand-painted pipes to the inner woodwork and ivory keys, are original. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)

“Our organ is historically unique in that it was never modernized,” Bennett said. “In fact, it is in almost its original form. But after 136 years it is in need of repair.”

David E. Wallace & Co. will dismantle the instrument in May 2027 and transport it to its Gorham shop to do the restoration. The project is expected to take about six months and the organ will be returned and installed by the beginning of 2028.

Buttons on the 1890 Deacon Elisha Morse Memorial Organ at First Congregational Church at 17 East Main St. in South Paris are seen April 22. Paris. The church is raising money to restore it for the first time in its history. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)

“Nearly all the front pipes are operational,” Bennett said. “There is a swell box at the top with pedal-controlled doors for dynamic control. It has leather valves that must be handmade and will be sourced from Germany. Even the finish is original and we intend to preserve its original aesthetic history.”

So far, the committee has donations and pledges for $45,000 toward the expense.

“A local donor has agreed to provide a matching donation, which is substantial,” he said. “The church has also pledged its commitment to helping reach our $123,000 goal.”

Weathered exterior organ piping is seen at First Congregational Church at 17 East Main St. in South Paris on April 22. The organ was built in 1890 and will be carefully dismantled and transported via trucks and trailers to Gorham, where David E. Wallace & Co. will begin restoration in May 2027. The process will take about six months. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)

The restoration committee is paying homage to the church’s original Ladies Circle as it raises money. It will hold a pie sale during Founders Day at Paris Hill on July 18.

One church member is making a handmade quilt featuring women of the Bible for a raffle.

The committee is planning a supper and silent auction in September, and proceeds from the First Congregational Church’s Christmas Fair this year will be donated to the restoration.

Nicole joined Sun Journal’s Western Maine Weeklies group in 2019 as a staff writer for the Franklin Journal and Livermore Falls Advertiser. Later she moved over to the Advertiser Democrat where she covers...

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