Organ

The pipe organ was purchased in 1906 by the Knox Presbyterian Young People’s Club at a cost of $2,600.00 from the Karn-Warren Pipe Organ Company in Woodstock, Ontario. The original organ consisted of nine ranks – four on the Swell, four on the Great and one on the Pedal. All of these pipes were still in use in 2022.

In 1954, British organ builders, Wm. Hill and Son, Norman and Beard Ltd. installed a new British-style Console, adding seven ranks of pipes and extending the two existing ranks. In 1976, a new blower of German design was installed and the Swell and Great Pipe Chests were replaced by new Casavant Fréres Chests, providing room for the addition of more pipe work. A solo Oboe was added to the Swell Organ and the Great Mixture was split to two separate stops to provide greater flexibility in stop registration. Over a ten-year period from 1981 to 1991, much of the organ was rewired and significant work was done to improve the tonal quality of the existing pipe work.

Two new ranks made in Northern Ireland were installed – a Spitzflute 4 to the Great. A Super Coupler was also added to the Great. The Trumpets originally installed in 1954 and removed from the Swell Organ in 1976, were also reinstalled on independent chests of the Great Organ. The organ now consists of nineteen ranks making it the largest pipe organ in Kenora, with a replacement of approximately $200,000 (1997).

A great deal of credit for the condition of this beautiful organ must go to Randy Jackson and Alex Coats who, together, did a tremendous amount of work on the rebuilding of the organ. Alex Coats has completely rewired the instrument and continually maintains the organ.