This post features an 1854 cover to Elias and George Hook organ builders in Boston, Massachusetts. It reveals a business transaction with the architects Wills & Dudley of New York about an organ for St. Paul’s Church in Troy, New York. It is particularly interesting to me because of its association with the renowned Hook brothers who were important nineteenth century organ builders.
Elias and George were sons of William Hook, a noted cabinetmaker in Salem, Massachusetts. In the 1820s, the brothers apprenticed with the organ builder William Goodrich in Boston. Known as the father of the Boston organ school, I wrote about Goodrich in this post, as he was part of a transaction in an 1819 stampless cover from my collection.
The cover to the Hook brothers is a single large piece of paper that is folded multiple times to create what looks like an envelope. This was a fairly common form of written communication in the middle of the nineteenth century. In addition, the single document bears both an original letter to the Hooks, as well as a return communication.
The Cover to Elias and George Hook
The Cover is addressed to “Messrs. Hook,” Organ Builders, Boston, Mass. It has a U.S. 1851 three cent stamp featuring George Washington. It has a full cancellation over the stamp that reads “NEW YORK” in large block letters with the date Jul 19 in the center. Right next to this cancellation is a partial cancellation where you can see the tops of the letters Y and O – presumably of York.
While a cover with a classic U.S. stamp from this date addressed to famous organ builders is already exciting to me, the letters inside make the piece even more fascinating.
The Letter
The original letter inside this 1854 cover was an attempt to collect a debt. Here is a transcription of the text:
637 Broadway
New York
19th July 1954
Messrs. Hook, Organ Builder
To Wills & Dudley, architect, New York
1852 Design & Working drawings for Organ case for St. Paul’s Church
Troy. N. Y. $ 30.00
637 Broadway New York
Gentlemen, I enclose you the above account which the late firm of Wills & Dudley have against you in their books. Mr. Dudley has assigned to me his properties of the amount; & I should therefore be most obliged if you would forward to me the sum above charges at your earliest possible convenience.
Respectfully yours,
Frank W. Wills
This short letter is rich in details. Let’s start with understanding the transaction. Frank Wills, an architect formerly in the partnership Wills & Dudley wants payment for supplying a set of design drawings for an organ case. This is not uncommon, especially for big churches with organs that will integrate with the overall design. The entire project is for the church of St. Paul’s in Troy, New York. A quick check reveals this must be the church of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
The Church
This church dates back to1804 and the current building is from 1827. The exterior is a nearly direct copy of Trinity Church in New Haven, Connecticut. It is in the Gothic revival style and is the design of architect Ithiel Town.
Troy became a prosperous city after the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825. It was full of wealthy businessmen who made money shipping on the Hudson River. As the church aged, there were structural problems on the interior. The congregation made the decision in1892 to completely gut the inside and replace it with a design by Louis Comfort Tiffany. That interior space survives to this day and is both important and famous as a work by this famous designer.
Wills & Dudley
The letter above is from Frank Wills. He was born in Exeter, England, in 1822 and began training as an architect with John Hayward. Wills came to New York City in 1847 and began his own firm. In 1851, he took a partner, the architect Henry C. Dudley who was also from Britain. Both architects were a part of the Gothic Revival movement and they created designs for churches throughout the northeast United States and across the country.
Given that St. Paul’s in Troy was a Gothic Revival structure, it makes great sense that they would want an organ case that would fit in with the design of the space and would turn to Wills & Dudley for it.
The Response
As I previously said, the wonderful letter and cover has a response from Hooks to Wills. It reads:
Boston July 21, 1854
Frank Wills Esq.
Dear Sir,
We have received yours of the 19th inst. containing bill for Design & working drawings for organ case for St. Pauls Church Troy.
Neither of our firm being personally present when the contract for the organ was made with the committee of St. Pauls we do not know what the understanding was; whether us or they were to pay for the drawings. The organ will be finished and set up in the church within a few weeks when we will look into it, and will see that you are paid without delay.
Very Respectfully Yours,
[no signature]
The Organ
So what can we determine about this organ? Well, the Organ Historical Society has an online pipe organ database that lists historic instruments from across North America. In this database there is a record for an organ by E. and G. G. Hook, opus number 174, built in 1854 for St. Paul’s in Troy. Certainly, this letter is about that organ. However, there is no other information about the instrument. The database says the organ no longer exists.
My supposition is that the Hook organ was taken out of the building during the redesign of the 1890s. Today, the congregation worships with a 1921 organ by the Austin Organ Company. The Hook organ with the Gothic revival case by Wills & Dudley would not aesthetically match with the art nouveau style of Tiffany. I did find two photos of the interior of the church prior to the Tiffany redesign. You can see in these photos visible organ pipes, presumably from the gothic organ case housing the Hook organ.
Do you collect letters in your philatelic collection? Do any of them have particularly interesting stories? Let me know in the comments below!
