New Life for Historical Treasures

Over the years, our congregation has met in three buildings and a meeting hall. We have been in our current building since 1957.

In the course of our remodeling project [2000-2007], we reviewed the usability of a number of items from our long history. We kept some and parted with others. Some of that parting was painful, but we muddle on. Below are the stories of some of those items and how they found new life and new homes.

Our Pipe Organ Lives on

The pipe organ at First Unitarian Church was a gift from Rev. Mary Safford, our minister from 1899 to 1910. By that time, we were in our second church home where the congregation met until 1957.

By 2000, the organ was no longer used and deemed un reparable. But hope held out until the renovation plan required the stair shaft to the loft for an elevator to make the rest of the building accessible to all.

The Question: How to end the functionning life of the pipe organ with honor and respect?

The Solution: Use the console [above] as a Membership Desk and dedicate it to Margo Heilman, our organist for 30 years. And sell or auction pieces of the organ -- the pipes -- to church members and friends. Let all who wish take a "piece of the wall", so to speak. Here are some of the solutions: