St. Albans Church in Rockton Faces Challenge in Organ Repair, Finds Solution in Special Guest Musician
St. Albans Church in Rockton had encountered a predicament that threatened to disrupt their annual Christmas Candlelight service. The historic church, owned and operated by the Friends of St. Albans organization, was in dire need of $3,000 worth of repairs for its organ. Additionally, their usual organist would be absent for the event as they had made plans to be in Florida during that period. However, the church found a ray of hope in the form of Marlene Penman from Stoney Creek.
When Barbara Robertson, a board member of the Friends of St. Albans, expressed her concerns about the lack of musical arrangements, Penman stepped forward with her First World War-era portable pump organ to fill the void. Penman explained, She didn’t know what she was going to do for music. I said, ‘I do have my father’s pump organ — I’m not sure it’s something that you’d want, but if you want I’m happy to play it.’
St. Albans Church holds several services throughout the year, including the Flower Festival in June, the Harvest Home concert in September, and the Christmas Candlelight service in November. This 19th-century Gothic revival church, located at 758 Old Highway 8, lacks modern amenities such as heat, water, and bathrooms. Instead, the ambiance of these services is set with the exclusive use of candles and oil lamps hanging from the ceiling.
It is important to keep events going at the historical building, emphasized Robertson. The church, built in 1869, used to host services twice every Sunday before gradually decreasing to just one service per month by 1949. Eventually, services stopped altogether in 1950. Since then, the building has only been utilized for occasional concerts, weddings, funerals, and celebrations.
Penman’s pump organ aligns perfectly with the atmosphere of the Christmas Candlelight service, where the dim lighting is provided solely by candles and oil lamps. The organ, weighing approximately 45 pounds and standing at a height of 40 inches, boasts four octaves and 29 keys. Playing the instrument requires foot pumping, as well as the use of knees to depress the metal bellow stops for optimal sound quality.
The portable pump organ holds historical significance as it was used by servicemen in both the First and Second World Wars. These organs were designed to provide music in areas without electricity. Manufactured by the A.L. White Manufacturing Company in Chicago, the exact date of Penman’s organ is unknown, but it is believed to be from 1904.
After World War II, the United States government distributed pump organs to ministries serving regions without electricity. Penman’s father, Rev. Cornelius Eelman, received this specific organ and used it to welcome immigrants in Nova Scotia and Montreal. They would gather in his trailer, which he pulled behind his jeep, to enjoy singing and prayer, expressing gratitude for their journey to Canada.
Penman elaborated on the organ’s history, saying, It was played in churches started by Eelman in Burford, Brantford, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Stouffville, and Exeter before finding its permanent home at the Exeter Christian Reformed Church. Roughly ten years ago, Penman received the organ as a gift from the Exeter congregation. In memory of her late father, she now plays the organ at retirement and nursing homes, piano recitals, and the Smithville Presbyterian Church.
Penman feels especially honored to be a part of an event that focuses on preserving history, stating, I think it’s so important to keep history alive and to remember where you came from.
The Christmas Candlelight service is scheduled for Saturday, November 25 at 7 p.m. The program will feature cherished Christmas carols, poems, and songs, accompanied by Penman on the pump organ and a talented flautist. Robertson extended a warm invitation to all, encouraging them to experience the beauty of the historic church and partake in the festive ambiance. She declared, It’s a good way to start the Christmas season.
For more information about the event, please visit stalbanschurch.weebly.com.
