History of the Great Organ
History of the
Great Organ
The Great Organ at Methuen
The organ was built by E.F. Walcker, Ludwigsburg, 1863 for the original Boston Music Hall. It remained there until its removal in 1884 when it was sold and placed in storage. Edward Francis Searles purchased the organ at auction in 1897, moved it to Methuen and built a storage building for it, while awaiting construction of Serlo Organ Hall, its new home. When the organ relocated to Methuen, it was placed on a new chassis by Methuen Organ Company (Treat), 1909.
After Searles’ death in 1920, Serlo Organ Hall and the adjoining factory passed through several private owners. In 1946, a group of community leaders formed the Methuen Memorial Music Hall, Inc., to provide an educational and cultural center. The organ was rebuilt by Aeolian~Skinner, Opus 1103, 1947.
Since 1966 the organ has been maintained by the Andover Organ Company, Ryan Bartosiewicz, President. Between 2020 and 2024, the organ was re-regulated at the direction of Frederick A. MacArthur, largely with Craig Seaman and Daniel R. Kingman at the pipes, and also involving Jonathan Ortloff and Jonathan Ambrosino.