GEORGE SHERBURNE HUTCHINGS    Opus 1653        

The organ at the Church of Christ, Winsted, Connecticut was built by the firm of George Hutchings, Boston, 
Massachusetts and is that builder’s Opus 1653.        

The exact date of construction of this magnificent instrument is unknown, as George Hutchings died in 1913, 
having built 500 instruments duly recorded by number and church.  After his death, the firm continued until 
1917, having merged with several other organ builders, and specific knowledge of its activities are sketchy. 
 The Organ Historical Society informs us that the various mergers resulted in totaling Opus numbers which 
accounts for the dramatic increase from #500 to the Church of Christ, Winsted’s #1653.  Research into all 
of this has begun and we thank Alan Laufman, Executive Director of the Organ Historical Society for his 
interest and help to date.        

It is known that the present organ is not the first that was installed and used in the dedication of the new 
Church building in September, 1899.  A picture of the sanctuary at that time shows a much smaller instrument,
 probably mechanically actioned, and perhaps, one that was moved from the old Second Congregational Church.        

Several designs had been submitted pertaining to the appearance of the organ façade.  The Church has on 
file a drawing of “Proposal No. II,” which was not accepted. We assume that “Proposal No. III” was, and 
the organ was installed in 1909.  The organ, when new, was fitted with a tubular-pneumatic action.  
This was a type short lived, as it was a transition time in organ design between mechanical and electric 
action, the latter becoming common by 1916.        

In 1908, a special Church meeting was held on October 24 to discuss establishing a fund for a new organ.  
Pledges of $2,611 and $34.05 in interest from the Winsted Savings Bank had been received for a total of $2,645.05 
towards the organ.  After discussion, it was voted to purchase an organ from Hutchings Organ Co. for the 
sum of $10,000, and to “make such changes and alterations in the organ loft as may be necessary to install 
an organ.”  The December 14, 1908 Annual Report stated “we need an organ adequate to the demand of our 
work and able to meet the growing musical requirement of the community.  The outcome has been generous 
cooperation, the pledging of nearly ten thousand dollars, and the purchase of a large three manual Hutchings 
organ that is shortly to be installed.”  A year later, in the Dec, 1909 year-end report, Rev. Everard 
Walker Snow wrote “the already beautiful interior of the church has been adorned by the installation 
last summer of a new three manual Hutchings organ which both in construction and tone quality has met our 
highest expectations.”            

The original Hutchings organ had a tonal design reflective of the style of the time.  The classical organ 
works, by Bach, for instance, were not popular during that era – but orchestral transcriptions were and organ 
tonal designers preferred voices that would allow the organist to be a “one-man band,” or sound like an orchestra.  
The organs of this period focused on orchestral flutes, orchestral reeds, orchestral strings (they all had 
to sound like the real thing) and an abundance of 8’ Diapasons (a type of pipe that is the backbone of the 
organ and unique only to organs).        

The organ served the Church in an unobtrusive way until the late 1960s, when problems with the tubular-pneumatic 
key and stop actions prompted extensive rebuilding.  A local firm was engaged to replace the old action with 
a new electro-pneumatic action.  A three manual and pedal draw stop console was installed.  Unfortunately, the 
console was of inferior design and by 1985 it had all but ceased to function.  The Church again faced the task 
of rehabilitating the instrument.  In addition to the need for a dependable console, the tonal aspects of 
the organ were analyzed and found to have deteriorated due, in part, to poor organ maintenance.        

A decision was made to engage one of the world’s leading organ building firms, Austin Organs, Inc. of Hartford, 
Connecticut to repair and renovate the instrument.  A new three manual and pedal stop key electro-mechanical 
console was built and installed.  All of the Great and Swell pipes were taken to Hartford for rebuilding and 
revoicing.  Chestwork was cleaned, a new offset chest and 183 pipe three rank Mixture was built and installed.  
Other new pipework was incorporated, helping to update the tonal design.  This work was finished in 1987.  In 1997, 
the Choir division was cleaned, repaired and revoiced by The William Betts Organ Co. of Winsted, Connecticut. 
 The Trumpet stop was revoiced in January, 1999, and is now able to function on both the Choir and Great divisions.        

Today the organ comprises all of the superb pipework of the Hutchings Organ Company as well as other new ranks 
from Austin Organs, Inc. which enhance the original.  Behind the magnificent façade of gold leaf pipes (most 
of which are speaking pipes) is the real heart of the instrument.  There, the Great, Swell, Choir and Pedal 
divisions, comprising a total of 2,072 pipes, speak to us today, a tribute to generations of organ builders 
and 100 years of members of The Church of Christ of Winsted, Baptist-Congregational.            

Organists at the Church of Christ of Winsted    
In the Century that the Hutchings Organ has been serving the Church of Christ, only five musicians have served 
as organists.  As part of the Organ Centennial, we recognize:        
Walter H. Way  1900-1924    
Marguerite Curtis  1929-1968    
Joy C. Zublena  1968-1986    
Roger L. Atkins  1986-2006     
Christopher King     2006-     

[Received online from Willard Minton May 13, 2011]