Friday, May 23, 2003

Today@Sam: Alum Group Seeks Organ Restoration Funds

The Sam Houston State University Alumni Association is seeking donations to restore an 1894 MP Moller, Inc., organ that is being stored in the Sam Houston Memorial Museum.

Preliminary estimates range between $40,000 and $50,000 for the restoration, which would include refabricating and replacing pieces of the organ and reassembling it, according to Mac Woodward, curator of collections at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum.

The organ was originally purchased to be installed in the Old Main Building and not only is significant to the university, but has historical significance as well. "Old Main had an assembly room upstairs on the top floor, like a big auditorium room, and the organ was installed in that. So, it was the first organ installed in an academic building west of the Mississippi River," Nolan said.

After the area in Old Main was needed for other purposes, the organ was moved to St. Stephens Episcopal Church and subsequently moved to the museum. The organ resided in the west wing until the area was redone.

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