RUMC Organ History

One of the earliest organists at the First United Methodist Church in Rockwood was Miss Florence Berry who was an employ to the First National Bank located on Rockwood Street.  The First Methodist Church was located further east on Rockwood Street.

Miss Florence, as she was known, played this beautiful pipe organ for many years until she retired from the bank and moved to one of the western states for her retirement years.  The organ was located on the center of the Sanctuary and at that time I remember the pipes being quite large on each side of the console.

As a small child I heard my first organ music at this church when there were no services at the Baptist Church.  I thought it was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard!  Miss Florence always wore large beautiful hats when she played for the services and you saw the beautiful hats from the back but the mirror in front of her to aid in her playing also showed the hats to quite an advantage also.  I remember telling my mother that someday I was going to play an organ like that and wear beautiful hats too.  Little did I know at that time that I would be an organist also in days to come.

As time went by the Baptist Church bought a new Hammond Organ and of course I wanted to play it as I had been taking piano lessons for two or three years and had begun to play the piano in church some.  My parents arranged for me to study with Mrs. Shugart who was organist at the Second Presbyterian Church in Knoxville.  Each Saturday I traveled by bus to Knoxville for my organ lesson and I could not believe I was learning to play on a five manual pipe organ in this elegant church.  As time went on I graduated from Rockwood High School and went to Carson Newman College in Jefferson City where I earned a degree in Music.

We never know what roads we will take down the years in life and I never dreamed that I would be playing this same beautiful pipe organ which Miss Florence had played so many years ago.

Mildred (Mickey Pressley) Fickey, Organist

Rockwood United Methodist Church

Rockwood, TN