For whom did the Middlebury Historical Society bell toll?

It Happened in Middlebury by AGNES LUTES

Middlebury Historical Society Vice President Agnes Lutes stands beside the former Center School’s bell. She made the climb up into the cupola for this photo. (Patrick Lutes photo)

The Middlebury Historical Society building’s best-kept secret may be the original bronze bell hanging in the cupola. It was installed in what was then the brand new Center School in 1897, and it likely was used to call children to school.

The bell is something special. Cast in West Troy, N.Y., (now Watervliet) at the end of the 1800s, it was destined to be the voice of a country school house in the small town of Middlebury, Conn., whose population at the time was fewer than 1,000 residents.

The bell’s path here took it down the Hudson River to Long Island Sound and then to a harbor on the Connecticut coast. From there it was hauled by oxen to Middlebury. The Meneely Bell Co., where the bell was made, was founded in 1826 and continued to operate until 1952, producing over 70,000 bells during that time.

The bell’s casting reveals its foundry and place of origin: The Meneely Bell Co., Troy, New York. Bells are cast with a number of inscriptions ranging from the simple foundry name or donor to the more elaborate phrases that include the following: I convene the clergy, I bewail the dead, I arouse the slothful, I abate the lightning, I scatter the winds, I call the people.

This bell has a famous relative. A replacement Liberty Bell called the Columbian Bell was produced at the Meneely Co. for display at the World’s Exposition in Chicago in 1893. Included in the casting of that bell were numerous historical objects and personal items of various metals. Its total weight was 13,000 pounds. By comparison, the original Liberty Bell weighs just over 2,000 pounds.

Bell towers are interesting spaces not for the faint of heart. There is that involuntary response of looking over your shoulder for bats. Additionally, access is usually through an attic, across a shaky catwalk, or up a narrow stairway.

In our case, we must climb an almost vertical ladder in the back of a closet up through a trap door into the attic. From here another ladder ascends to a much smaller trap door into a narrow octagonal tower with a minimum of support boards around the edges. Good balance is essential in this louvered space where light, fresh air enters and rain mostly stays out.

Much of the space is taken up by the bronze bell, huge and heavy. The view is wonderful and makes it worth the climb. Of course, there is the horrifying trip back down. You may have avoided Quasimodo up there but the real adventure continues as you find your way back down through trapdoors and on ladders.

This particular bell was silent for many years until our volunteer, Patrick, climbed into the belfry and was inspired. He worked on the bell itself, oiling it and making sure the parts moved freely. Then he replaced the rope that travels down through the attic to the kitchen below. At last, its lovely sound rang out throughout the Green and beyond for the first time in years, the first time in memory for those of us who work and volunteer at the Middlebury Historical Society.

One of the few bells in town that can still be rung manually, our Historical Society bell rings a two-syllable peal of one specific note, the classic ding-dong of full-circle ringing. The first tug on the rope raises the bell to its upside down position. A ring is produced when the clapper hits the bell as the bell swings down again and back up on the other side. Each pull of the rope reverses the bell’s direction and it sounds again.

Sounds good? Please be our guest at the Middlebury Historical Society to hear the song of this beautiful bell.

Agnes Lutes is the Middlebury Historical Society vice president.To join or contact the society, call 203 206-4717 or visit middleburyhistoricalsociety.org.