Wesbein United Methodist Church

Pilcher’s Sons Opus 605

Complete Restoration of Pilcher’s Sons Opus 605 Tracker Pipe Organ, completed 2005.

The Pilcher name in organbuilding encompassed four generations of the family doing business in several locations including Newark, Chicago, St. Louis, and New Orleans, as well as Louisville where the instrument for Saybrook was manufactured. Over 100 Pilcher instruments were built for churches in Illinois, including about 16 for Methodist churches. Remaining documented Pilcher instruments in Illinois, in addition to the one in Saybrook, are in Albion, Elkhart, Greenville, and Knoxville. As far as can be determined, the organ at Wesbein Church is the only remaining Pilcher organ in a Methodist church in the state of Illinois.

This instrument, original to the church was completely restored according to the standards of the Organ Historical Society by Buzard Pipe Organ Builders and was finished in 2005.