269-781-5923 Store Hours: Monday thru Saturday 10:00 to 5:30, Sunday 12:00 to 4:00
About us
1927 Barton Theater Organ
The Mole Hole of Marshall features a 6 rank Barton Theater Organ. When you visit The Mole Hole you will be able to hear the organ play with or without the organist sitting on the bench. This is due to the fact that it can be played with the digital playback system within the instrument. During the holiday season or for special events, Scott Smith, our house organist takes to the console and entertains our customers. Please contact us for an organ schedule. CD's of the organ with Christmas music are also available for purchase.
(Photo: Scott Smith of Lansing, MI - Our store organist for over 30 years)
2023 Organ Concert Schedule
- November 5......12 pm to 4 pm
- November 24 & 25....12 pm to 5 pm
- December 1.....6 pm to 9 pm
- December 9, 16 & 23.....12 pm to 5 pm
- Christmas Eve.... 12 pm to 3 pm
A Brief History
This organ was originally installed in the Garden Theater in 1927. Sometime during the sixties, the organ was removed and went on for two brief stints in residences. Finally, Mike and Penny Kinter purchased the instrument and brought it back to Marshall, where it remained in storage for some time. When the idea of the gift shop came into being, the notion of incorporating the Barton organ into the plans for the store seemed like a logical and novel idea. And so it went on for ten years, until disaster struck.
A Fire Strikes
On October 24, 1987, a fire broke out near the furnace and soon engulfed nearly every corner of the store. When the firemen broke through the front doors the intense heat was measured at 1,200 degrees farenheight. Miraculously, the fire burned around the single organ chamber, badly scorching the exposed 16' Bourdon extension and the console. And so the rebuilding of the store from the ground up began and on September 1, 1988 the Mole Hole once again opened its doors. During the rebuild, the organ chamber was enlarged, and a Kimball Tibia and Tuba were added to the original Barton ranks of Vox Humana, Stirg, Diapason and Stopped Flute. As a result of the fire damage, the console required new keyboards, re-engraving the stop tablets and a complete refinishing. (You can still see a bit of scorching around the top portions of the pipes, a grim reminder of the fire.)
2022 Organ Schedule
November 5 12-4 pm
November 24 & 25 12 - 5 pm
December 1 6-9 pm
Saturdays in December 12-5 pm
Christmas Eve 12 - 3 pm
Special Announcement
Enjoy a Concert on our Barton Theater Organ
Our organ was chosen by Justin LaVoie as the organ he would play for the American Theater organ society convention.
Justin LaVoie was named organist of the year by the American Theatre Organ Society in 2020.