St. John the Baptist Organ Society, which was established in 2019 on the 140th anniversary of the installation of Opus 937, is committed to the preservation and appreciation of the church’s historic Hook & Hastings pipe organ.
In the early 1820s Elias and George G. Hook, sons of a Salem, MA cabinetmaker, apprenticed to the famous Boston organ builder William H. Goodrich. In 1827 they returned to Salem and set up shop there. By 1832, their rapidly growing company moved to Boston. Francis H. Hastings started working for the Hooks in 1855. By 1871 the company had built more than 600 instruments all over the United States. In 1872 Mr. Hastings entered into partnership with the Hooks  at which time the firm became E. & G.G. Hook and Hastings. By 1881 it was called simply Hook & Hastings. At the time it shut down in 1936 it had built more than 2,500 organs.
This great instrument, Opus 937, was planned for by Fr. Michael Masterson and installed during his pastorate in 1879.  The organ has 21 ranks and 1,135 pipes varying in sounding length from a few inches to 16 feet. It has two manuals and 26 registers. The organ was electrified ca 1925 by William Laws. In 2000, it was re-leathered and renovated by Richard C. Lahaise, the last direct living link to the Hook & Hastings Company.