The Chautauqua Institute was founded in 1874 as an educational locale for summer-time use. It was envisioned as an extension of church school education in local churches in the experimental setting of the NY outdoors. Founded by Methodists, it ultimately is utilized by a variety of church denominations. Music was always an important part of the Chautauqua experience and in 1929 an on-site orchestra was founded.
The OHS database has an extensive list of instruments that have been at Chautauqua, the earliest being a Ryder organ from 1881. A letter to patrons states that ice and water damaged the organ console in Winter 2018. The letter mentions the "1907 Massey Memorial Organ." That would seem to delineate the Warren Church Organ instrument in the OHS database of 1907. The Moeller company replaced the console for the 94-rank instrument in 1928 and did a thorough remaking of the instrument in 1972. The most recent substantive work seems to have been done by the Fischer company of Pennsylvania in 1992.
My sepia-toned card has been postally used. The recipient was in Kingston, NY. The postmark is dated 14 August 1919. It was published by the Institute, and was sent using a common Washington type A140. Based on the perforations (11x11), it seems this is from the 1917-1919 printing, Scott 498
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