First Presbyterian Church has had a long and glorious tradition of music within the church and of musical leadership in the community enhanced by instuments dedicated throughout the history of the church.
Sanctuary Organ
In 1968, a new Æolian Skinner organ was dedicated in the Sanctuary. Given in memory of Converse College voice teacher Glenn Crowder Stables by his wife, Mary Andrews Stables, the organ has 2,834 pipes. The Æolian-Skinner Organ Company is probably one of the finest and most recognized names in organ building in the United States. The company closed its doors in 1972 but many of the instruments still survive today.
Chapel Organ
Three years of study, research, planning, and prayer will come to fruition when our Schoenstein chapel organ was dedicated in honor of Dr. John E. Williams in October of 1995. Schoenstein are the builders of organs in the Romantic-Symphonic style employing electric-pneumatic actions.
Handbells
In 1978 the congregation dedicated a set of handbells to the memory of Ruth Ann Fogartie, wife of Dr. James E. Fogartie. The 49 bells, crafted by the Whitechapel Foundry in London, made a stirring memorial to Mrs. Fogartie, who helped organize the handbell choir in 1976. The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain.
Updated
February 7, 2012
First Presbyterian Church | 393 East Main Street, Spartanburg, SC 29302-1917 | 864-583-4531 | Contact: webmaster@fpcspartanburg.org | Copyright 2012
