ORGAN

WESTMINSTER

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

315 E. Scott Street, Gainesville, Texas

near downtown historic square

WICKS PIPE ORGAN

Opus 5105

The Wick’s Pipe Organ was built in Highland, Illinois, in 1970 for the Northridge Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas. The instrument contains a total of 584 pipes in 8 ranks with 21 chimes. The facade portion of the organ, under the cross, is the Great division. The Swell is located to the left of the choir loft. The longest pipe is 16 feet. The smallest pipe is about the size of a pencil. The materials used in the pipe works are lead and tin with the bass pipes being made of zinc or wood. Most of the wood in the organ is spruce from Sitka, Alaska and is without blemish. The same material is used in the sound boards on Steinway Pianos.
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In December of 2002, Westminster Church was able to purchase the organ from the Dallas congregation, since they were moving into a larger facility. The instrument was removed from the Dallas church in one day and hauled to Gainesville in four pick-up trucks and once goose-neck trailer, with some people holding pipes on the way home! After the needed alterations in the church to accommodate the organ were made, it took about three weeks to reassemble the organ. This is the fourth Wicks Pipe organ in Gainesville and the sixth pipe organ in town. Opus 5105 should provide Westminster with many years of faithful service.

On April 14, 2003 a dedicatory service was held with well-known organist John Dill playing an organ concert and Peggy O’Neil directing a choral concert.