Cloister Church, Vreta, Sweden

 

Vreta, Sweden, Kloster Kyrka. This was one of the most confounding puzzles I have encountered on this postcard project. I had a tough time figuring out the town, the church, and instrument, pretty much every element. But I think I finally have gotten most of the details nailed down. The church shown is the Vreta Kloster Kyrka. The card also tells us that we have an “interior” view of the church. There is a Wiki for the facility. Based on questionable translations from Google the organ has work done most recently in the 1940’s; it would seem that it is currently not playable. My card is black-and-white and un-used. It has a price indication. There are also printing and publication details.

Porvoo, Finland (Cathedral)

Porvoo is a small city in Finland with about 50,000 inhabitants. It was founded by the 14th century. In Swedish the town is known as Borku. I have not been able to find any information about the organ in the cathedral. Just a video (organ with tuba) and some photographs. But no technical information about the instrument. My card is black and white, unused. The reverse includes the town name and " Tuomiokirkko" and "Domkyrkan" which both look like variations of church/cathedral. Also on the card is "Porvoom Kirjakauppa Borga Bokhandel, which may  be publication information. 

Unknown Easter

I have absolutely no information about this card! I'm not even sure if I got it myself, or if it was a gift at some point. There is no identifying text on the front and none either on the back. The only bit of information is that it was produced by Artur. The image shows an Easter scene at the front of a church. Behind a railing there is a communion table covered by a white cloth, so it appears things are prepped to celebrate the sacrament. One notes lilies throughout the chancel area, two large chairs and the lower casework and facade of the organ. There seems to be a small mirror below the central pipes which would allow the organist to keep an eye on activity in the chancel area and nave. There is a hymnboard at right and an upright piano. There seems to be some stenciling near the top of the walls almost at ceiling height. A sign on the wall at left is illegible. The facade pipes have been painted/stenciled, though the sepia-toned card doesn't reveal the color scheme. A complete mystery!

Wellesley, MA (USA): Dana Hall

I have been able to find no information about the organ shown on this card. The caption states this is the "living room" at Dana Hall in Wellesley Mass. Dana Hall is a girls' preparatory school. C.B. Dana was a philanthropist of some renown who donated to schools of various stripes. (One of the main buildings at Guilford College, Greensboro, NC, where I graduated, includes a Dana Auditorium.) I was able to find a letter from a key figure of Dana Hall which listed various improvements at the school, including an organ that cost $7000. But I have not been able to find any more details about the instrument itself. No doubt the room has undergone changes over the years, and it's possible the organ is no longer there.

My black-and-white card is used, and was sent to Brooklyn, NY in early 1907. Postage was paid by a common 2c Washington stamp type A129 type II, Scott 319. Various shades of red determine the final version of the stamp at hand; I have not bothered to determine if mine is "carmine rose" or "scarlet."

Franklin (PA), USA: First Baptist Church

I feel certain that I got this pair of cards together, though I don't remember specifically. They were both sent to a Mr Dedrick of Brodhead, WI in 1906. Interestingly the space of note-writing is on the front of the card, rather than on the reverse with the address information. These two cards are both black and white and have been postally used, with a common Franklin 1c stamp for postage. One card features the exterior of the facility, the other the interior with the chancel and organ facade. The church's website (a blog really) doesn't offer any information about the music program nor the organ, let alone any history of the instrument. The interior image reveals rather remarkable murals on the ceiling of the sanctuary which must have been stunning to see in person, in color. The two cards were published by CL Griffin.

I clicked through to the church's Facebook page and found a contemporary image of the interior. It seems the organ in the postcard is still in place at the church (as are the murals!).

Boston (USA): Old South Church

Old South Church, founded in 1669, has a rich and complex history. There have been a succession of buildings over the years, and a series of musical instruments within. The present building dates from 1875. Current pictures of the interior of the church reveal instantly that considerable work has been done on the interior design. It's not possible to know exactly when the image for this postcard was taken. In the early 1980s several factors were at play in the musical life of the congregation. There was a desire to make the musical portions of worship more vital. An organ built by the Reuter firm was sold back to the builder and in turn adapted for a church in Florida. A civic auditorium in Minnesota was about the be demolished with the loss of EM Skinner Opus 308 within. The Old South Church purchased the Minnesota instrument and installed it in the front of the sanctuary. One can see from the 360-degree video of the church that a second organ resides in the rear gallery. Neither of these instruments seems to match the organ shown in the postcard. No doubt the information is available somewhere, but not readily to me at the moment. My card is in color, is un-used and was printed in Germany by the Reichner Brothers firm.

London, UK, Wesley Chapel, City Road

Wesley Chapel in City Road, London is a vital congregation of the British Methodist Church. It was founded by John Wesley and now includes a museum and the John Wesley house next door. The foundation for the chapel was laid in 1777. The post card (mint/black-white) shows the nave, chancel and pulpit and includes portions of the surrounding gallery. One can see part of the organ on both sides of the gallery. Interestingly, it seems the organ was re-positioned to the rear of the gallery at some point in time. It is obviously no longer where it appears in the postcard, according to contemporary pictures. I was able to find a close-up shot of a small organ that was used at the first Wesley Chapel (also called Foundery). However I can find no information on the organ as it appears in the postcard.

Vinton, Iowa, USA: Presbyterian Church

Vinton, Iowa is in the eastern part of the state, about halfway between Des Moines and Davenport. It seems the Presbyterian Church there has used three facilities during its existence. The present building at one time had a dome which was removed in the middle of the last century. Copper from the dome was reputedly used "for the war effort."

There was apparently some cleaning done to the organ in 2015. There is a fairly decent photo essay of the project at the church's website. However no details are given about who undertook the work, nor any specifics about the instrument. I have not been able to find any information about it anywhere. The picture below is dated Easter 2017. The facade looks very much as it does on my card.

My card is used, black and white. The card is postmarked 1924. It shows the pulpit area with a raised chancel or choir area behind. The organ is within that raised area. One can discern the dome which was later removed as a roof feature.