2006 Renovation

The renovation of the Hinners Organ at the Old South Haven Presbyterian Church took place in 2006. The work was carried out by the 🔗J.H. & C.S. Odell Organ Company and included extensive repairs, tonal finishing, and updates to the windchest and electric systems

2006 Renovation

In 2006, the church embarked on a major renovation program thanks largely to a bequest from former member Roger Kickerer.  In July, the J.H. & C.S. Odell Organ Company were contracted to refurbish and repair the organ. Work included a new windchest for the Pedal division with direct electric action and  dc electric power system, relocation of some pipes to facilitate maintenance and tuning, and extensive repairs and tonal finishing for the rest of the organ.  A separate memorial contribution was provided for the redesign and  decoration of the pipe façade.  On August 7th and 8th, 2006, the instrument was dismantled and shipped to the Odell company for refurbishing.  On 12 November 2006, the organ was returned to the church and reassembled.  The renovated organ accompanied worship for the first time on 3 Dec 2006 -- the first Sunday of Advent and a new church year.

 The façade after the 2006 renovation

The Odell Company converted all the mitered pipes to Haskell pipes and reshaped other pipes to a more pleasing design.  The seven pipes to either side of the pedestals are non speaking pipes.

Hinners Organ Company.

The Hinners firm was in business from 1879 until 1936.  They built pipe organs with tracker action and with tracker and electro-pneumatic action.  They seem never to have produced a purely electric action organ.

John Hinners (1846-1906) the founder of the company was of German parents who, it's recorded in Orpha Ochse's The History of the Organ in the United States were German Pietists and came to America in 1836.  John served in the Civil War and then went to work for the reed organ division of Mason and Hamlin the famous piano builders of Boston.  Hinners moved to Pekin, IL, in 1879 and after working for the reed organ builder for two years formed the organ building company in partnership with J. J. Fink.

John L. Hinners

In 1885 Fink was bought out by U. J. Albertsen, and the company began to build organs under the name of Hinners and Albertson.  They built small, reliable and inexpensive organs available only through their catalog.  They never employed a salesman.  Their system was compared in later years to Henry Ford's building of automobiles ... building organs for small churches.  At one time Hinners and Albertson are said to have had a waiting list of over three thousand customers.    From 1890 until 1936, the Hinners company are said to have built some 3000 pipe organs, mostly one and two manual instruments.

One model is described in Ochse's book:

"For $485.00 we deliver this organ, one manual with four divided stops on the manual and an independent 15-note pedal bourdon. The organ arrives securely packed in boxes and crates on railroad cars or steamboat.

"Added to the cost is freight and the round-trip fare for one of our men to assemble, set-up and tune the organ. We make no charge for the time to do this work... only the traveling expense."

Ubbo Albertsen

In 1902 Albertsen retired.  In 1906 John L. Hinners retired, and his son Arthur W. (1873-1955) succeeded as president.  Under Arthur the company had its peak year in 1921 when 97 employees were working at the factory.  The depression brought the company to its end in 1936, and Arthur went to work for the Wicks Organ Company as a salesman.

The company built only tracker organs until 1910 when it built its first tubular-pneumatic action and in 1916 its first electro-pneumatic instrument.

Hinners also built theater organs (oddly enough a five rank tracker!) beginning in 1911.  All told they built twenty theater organs, some "quite large".

Until 1920 Hinners never built their own pipes... their supplier was Anton Gottfried of Erie, PA.

Contributors:  Richard Thomas, Peggy Angus, Philip Warner,
Elizabeth Gardner, and John Deitz

Last Edited: 24 Mar 2012
Revised: September 2025