Hilbus & Howison
1812

When the O.H.S. visited the Smithsonian as part of the 1964 convention, the organ was unrestored and in exceptionally poor condition, and the musical instrument collection was in the History & Technology wing of the museum. There is no mention of the instrument in the Handbook, and it may therefore not have been on display. Following the organ's restoration by C.B. Fisk in 1967, it was relocated to a stand-alone position at the entrance off the main corridor to the Division of Culture and Arts where the musical instrument collection was on display. I believe it was moved again to the chamber music hall, but this needs to be checked.

At some point in the early 2000s, the musical instrument collection, including the Hilbus and Snetzler organs, were moved into storage while the History and Technology wing of the museum was completely overhauled and rebuilt (without exhibit space for the collection). The collection was moved into a government-owned off-site warehouse. At some point between then and James Weaver's retirement as instrument curator and his becoming Executive Director of the OHS in 2011, asbestos was discovered in the warehouse and it has been declared a hazardous waste site with any entry into the building for any purpose extremely forbidden. The Smithsonian currently has no plans to reassemble the Musical Instrument collection for public viewing for the foreseeable future, if ever.

The original builder was Jacob Hilbus (c. 1812).

Status Note: There 1993

From St. Thomas Epis., Hancock, MD c. 1912.