St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Henderson KY

HISTORY:

The first pipe organ in the city of Henderson was installed in St. Paul's Church in 1859 by Simmons and Wilcox of Boston, Massachusetts. This organ was probably located in a gallery in the rear of the nave, before renovations provided for a divided chancel down front. In those early years, Professor Casper Friedrich Artes, who was born in and studied music in Germany before immigrating to the U.S., served as organist in this parish for over a quarter of a century, providing a quality of musical inspiration which has been memorialized in a stained glass window in the church and writings of legendary proportions.*

A second organ, built by Henry Pilcher Sons', replaced the original organ in 1909. It was Opus 648 of this firm and contained 2 manuals and 24 stops. It was located on one side of the chancel area (photo at left).

The present pipe organ in this historical building is a three-manual instrument of 34 ranks, built by the Wicks Organ Company of Highland, Illinois. The original Wicks divisions were installed in 1939, with some of the voicing by Henry V. Willis, grandson of the great English organ builder "Father Willis". They were installed in two chamber to the left of the altar area, in what was once the vestry room. Additional pipes both within the organ chambers and on the front walls of the chancel, along with a new console, were installed in 1979, with a re-dedication recital by Margaret Kimberling, parish organist at that time and a key member of our Evansville A.G.O. chapter. Matthew Baugh was parish organist in the early 1990s, followed by Neal Biggers from 1995 to 2002, and Evalyn Champion from 2002 to 2016. Suzanne Perrey and Marla Minton provided musical leadership for several years, followed by an interim period of rotating musicians including talented students Jenny Donnelly, Ally Donnelly and Patrick Hauke.

Jieun Kim Newland is welcomed as the parish's new Music Minister and Organist in the summer of 2025. In addition to her extensive training and experience as an organist she brings her own instruments to supplement St. Paul's historic organ: a medieval-style organetto and a movable continuo organ.

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-Historical information provided by Neal Biggers, from parish photos, records and memories.
-Pilcher Organ details from the Organ Historical Society: http://database.organsociety.org/SingleOrganDetails.php?OrganID=16791 (accessed Aug. 3, 2016)

*Articles about Casper Artes:
A Biography; A Christmas Memory; Casper Artes Memorial Window
St. Paul's Windows page: www.evansvilleago.org/glass

St. Paul's Parish Website: http://www.stpauls-henderson.org