The Journey Continues
After the Robert Morton was saved, plans were made to install her at Campbell College (now Campbell University). As any organ enthusiast will tell you, however, solid plans and good intentions are often not enough. The College decided during the interval between storing the Morton and committing to building space for her in the campus church, a more “suitable” organ would be better for congregational singing. In an instant, the Morton was homeless again and her storage facility had an expiration date on it. So what do you do?
Paul Abernethy Sr. offered to take the organ off the College’s hands. They were happy to get their storage site back with the added bonus of it costing them nothing to have the parts removed from storage. In that intervening period, Dr. Abernethy made plans to build an organ room later known as the “Cathedral” on the back of his garage. In the summer of 1969, the organ was deposited in his garage to wait for the construction of its new home.
The next two years was spent building the new organ loft and restoring the Morton to useful condition. All the leather actions and pouches were recovered. All of the regulators were releathered as well. Layers of white paint were painstakingly removes from the console leaving a beautiful mahogany finish.
In 1971, the venerable Eddie Weaver, Richmond Virginia’s beloved organist and entertainer, dedicated the newly minted pipe organ to a packed room of 60 enthusiasts. Here she stayed and played until 1980.
