Pipe organ music once filled Bluffton Presbyterian Church

By Diane Winebar

Historical photos are bringing glimpses of Bluffton Presbyterian Church’s past as the church celebrates its 175th anniversary. 

This 1960 photo shows the church’s sanctuary at Christmastime. The simple decorations took nothing away from the impressive 1919 pipe organ. It was said that church organist Edgar S. Hauenstein went from playing a small pump organ to mastering the new pipe organ without missing a note. When not in front of the organ, Mr. Hauenstein could be found at his pharmacy located in the storefront now occupied by the Twisted Whisk Café.

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Edgar wasn’t the only Hauenstein to contribute to the Presbyterian music program. His brother, music professor Sidney S. Hauenstein, conducted a Sunday School orchestra in the 1920s.

In 1993, a total renovation gave the sanctuary a new look. The aging pipe organ was removed after nearly 75 years of faithful service and replaced with an electric organ. This instrument produces glorious music thanks to the talents of Jayne McGarrity and Sue VanEman, the church’s current organists. 

Happily, after the renovation, many of the 1919 organ’s pipes found homes with church members, as did some of the 1892 wooden pews.

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