Margaret turned 100 last Saturday.
At First United Presbyterian Church in Pine Plains, she marked the occasion with a voice that could mumble in one moment and bellow in the next.
Margaret is the church’s pipe organ, a century-old Estey instrument that has sounded through Sunday services, Christmases, weddings, and funerals since the stone church was dedicated in 1926.
And for one afternoon, she had a birthday party.
On June 27, more than 100 people gathered under the vaulted sanctuary for the celebration, and when Margaret had finished speaking in her many voices, the audience applauded loudly at her impressive set of pipes before eating cake in her honor.
Margaret was not the only centenarian present. The program, titled “A Century of Harmony and Faith,” celebrated both the organ and the church itself, at 3039 East Church St., marking 100 years since the dedication of the current building.
On Aug. 1, 1922, the steeple of the wooden church then standing on the site was struck by lightning, and the structure burned to the ground. After worshipping temporarily at the nearby Baptist church, church leaders decided to rebuild, this time in stone. The new church was dedicated in 1926.
That same year, with her dozens of pipes, stacked keyboards, hefty wooden foot pedals, and array of stops, Margaret found her forever home. She was adopted from the Estey Organ Company of Brattleboro, Vermont, and immediately began sermonizing in her own way, leading worshippers through 100 years of church life.
The congregation she served grew to a peak of 421 members in 1954.
But Margaret does not speak unprompted. She needs encouragement, an interlocutor who knows how to coax her voice to life. Over the decades, a few people have learned to push the right keys, press the right pedals, and strike the right chords to unlock her remarkable range. It is a skill that requires years of practice.
One such interlocutor is Ryan Orton, who sat down with Margaret before the birthday-goers and drew out congregation favorites, including variations on “Joy to the World,” as members of the audience gently hummed along.
“The only thing that that made me better as was practice,” Orton said, explaining how he became a skilled conversationalist with Margaret. “Practice, practice, practice.”
Terry Earles of Red Hook also cajoled the organ into song. From muted, flute-like ruminations to warbling interludes and fiery choruses, the audience heard the many voices of Margaret, who easily reached the back row of wooden pews.
Over the years, the church has spent more than $35,000 to repair, electrify, and maintain her.
Margaret has outlasted generations of pastors. During the celebration, one was remembered above all others.
The Rev. Richard Moser arrived in Pine Plains in 1921, fresh out of Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Six months later, the church burned after the lightning strike. Moser led the congregation through the rebuilding effort and the decades that followed, remaining pastor until 1963. Four days after retiring, he died.
“He gave his whole life to the church,” Orton said. “As soon as he retired, God said, ‘I need you up here.'”
Margaret received her name only later in life, in honor of Moser’s wife, who was perhaps the organ’s best and most longstanding friend, and one of her most skilled players. For more than 40 years, she ornamented each Sunday with her organ playing. She died in 1974, and it was Orton who decided to name the church’s 100-year resident organ in her honor.
Among those celebrating Saturday was Shirley McPherson, 93, who has known Margaret perhaps longer than anyone living.
McPherson first heard Margaret when she entered the church’s kindergarten at age 7.
“It was wonderful,” she said after the concert. “It brought back a lot of memories for me.”
McPherson has also seen how the congregation has changed over the years, with attendance trending downward.
“Young people don’t need religion unless there’s a wedding, a funeral or a baby,” she said. “There’s four churches in Pine Plains, and they’re all suffering the same way.”
Today, the congregation is much smaller, numbering 32 at the start of 2026.
“There’s ten to twelve people on an average Sunday,” said the Rev. Jan Brooks, the church’s current pastor. “Sometimes as low as two or three, and then we just sit and have Bible study.”
Still, more than 100 people returned for the centennial celebration, honoring both the church and its famous musical voice. Among the attendees were six brothers, all part of the Moser extended family, who wore “Margaret”-themed T-shirts to commemorate the anniversary.
“The whole committee has worked really, really hard,” Brooks said.
The program concluded with a brass quintet from the Stanford Grange Youth Musicians, performing with Margaret in a lushly harmonized version of Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus.”
“This is a pretty impressive turnout,” said trumpet player Ben Van Kleeck, 22, after the performance.
Van Kleeck said church attendance is simply not as common among his generation. But even as attendance dwindles, he sees the value of the church from a secular vantage point.
“I want to see things like this thrive,” Van Kleeck said. “Purely for the community aspect and what it provides for the town. If that’s something that religion can do for people, that’s what really matters.”
As congregations shrink across Pine Plains and other rural communities, the church’s future remains uncertain. But for one afternoon, at least, the pews were full, as more than 100 people gathered to celebrate a building, a congregation, and the distinguished matriarch Margaret, who has marked, in music, many of the town’s most important moments.
For Margaret, they had, quite literally, pulled out all the stops, signifying their commitment to her preservation. And if she is well cared for, she could well be piping up for another 100 years.