The Meneely Bell Foundry was a bell foundry established in 1826 in West Troy (now Watervliet), New York, by Andrew Meneely. Two of Andrew's sons continued to operate the foundry after his death, while a third son, Clinton H. Meneely, opened a second foundry across the river with George H. Kimberly in Troy, New York in 1870. Initially named the Meneely Bell Company of Troy, this second foundry was reorganized in 1880 as the Clinton H. Meneely Company, then again as the Meneely Bell Company. Together, the two foundries produced about 65,000 bells before they closed in 1952.[1] [2]
Selected bells attributed to the West Troy foundry.
| Site | Image | Dates | Location | Country | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boys' Camp, Camp Mini-Yo-We | Huntsville, Ontario | Canada | Originally cast for Mountainside Gospel Chapel in Mountainside, New Jersey. Later donated to Camp Mini-Yo-We upon amalgamation with Liquid Church. | |||
| St. Lawrence Hall | 1849 cast | Toronto, Ontario | Canada | Unused and virtually inaccessible in the cupola | ||
| Wesley Knox United Church | Woodville, Nova Scotia | Canada | ||||
| Roddick Gates, McGill University | Montreal, Quebec | Canada | ||||
| Saint Anthony's Church (Svateho Antonina) | 1918 purchased | Strossmayerovo Namesti, Prague | Czech Republic | |||
| First Baptist Church | 1869 cast1887 repaired1963 moved | Huntsville, Alabama | United States | Donated by deacon James Hamilton to Enon Baptist Church downtown. Later moved to current site. | ||
| Church of the Nativity | Menlo Park, California | United States | ||||
| Saint Joseph Parish (Mountain View, California) | Mountain View, California | United States | Striker replaced in 2018. A-frames scheduled for replacement in 2024. | |||
| San Jose State University | 1881 castRehung 1910 and 1960s | San Jose, California | United States | Cast to commemorate the California State Normal School. Weighs 3,000-pounds. Silenced after an earthquake in 1903. Re-installed in Tower Hall in 1910 and rung on special occasions. Later retired and relocated to ground level due to seismic concerns. | ||
| St. Mary Catholic Church | Bethel, Connecticut | United States | ||||
| Bulkley Memorial Carillon | Danbury, Connecticut | United States | ||||
| Lupton Hall Carillon, Oglethorpe University | Atlanta, Georgia | United States | ||||
| Faith Chapel | 1901 cast | Jekyll Island, Georgia | United States | Chapel built 1904 | ||
| Lovely Lane Chapel, Epworth By The Sea | 1881 cast | St. Simons Island, Georgia | United States | |||
| Lacon Congregational Church | 1890 cast | Lacon, Illinois | United States | |||
| St. Paul Lutheran Church | 1860s purchased | Pontiac, Illinois | United States | |||
| Rock Island Arsenal Clock Tower | 1867 cast | Rock Island, Illinois | United States | Weighs 3,538 pounds | ||
| University of Northern Iowa[3] | 1926 dedicated | Cedar Falls, Iowa | United States | |||
| Mattawamkeag Church of God | Mattawamkeag, Maine | United States | ||||
| Joseph Dill Baker Memorial Carillon | Frederick, Maryland | United States | Baker Park | |||
| Plainville Historical Commission | 1905 cast | Plainville, Massachusetts | United States | |||
| First Presbyterian Church of Adrian | 1846 cast | Adrian, Michigan | United States | Weighs 1601 pounds. After installation, rang in the New Year in 1847. | ||
| Laingsburg United Methodist Church | 1881 cast | Laingsburg, Michigan | United States | |||
| Immanuel Lutheran Church | Madison, Nebraska | United States | ||||
| Thompson Hall (University of New Hampshire) | Durham, New Hampshire | United States | Original church was located on Greenwood Ave. Later relocated behind the "new" church on Dodgingtown Road. | |||
| Columbia High School (New Jersey) | Maplewood, New Jersey | United States | Large bell chimes the hour | |||
| St. Peter the Apostle Roman Catholic Church[4] | New Brunswick, New Jersey | United States | ||||
| Newton Presbyterian Church[5] | Newton, New Jersey | United States | ||||
| Friendship Fire Company #1 | 1875 cast | Woodbury, New Jersey | United States | Created for the Woodbury Fire Association | ||
| Reformed Dutch Church of Claverack | Claverack-Red Mills, New York | United States | ||||
| Saint Michael's Church (Rochester, New York) | 1847 cast | Rochester, New York | United States | 2 bells weighing 1,015 pounds and 525 pounds | ||
| St. Anthony's Church | Albany, New York | United States | ||||
| First Presbyterian Church | 1848 cast | Avon, New York | United States | 33", 700 pound bell | ||
| Carlisle Presbyterian Church | Carlisle, New York | United States | ||||
| Central United Methodist Church | Endicott, New York | United States | ||||
| Jamesville Community Museum | Jamesville, New York | United States | Created for the former 1878 Episcopal church | |||
| St. Andrew's Catholic Church | Norwood, New York | United States | 3,100-pound bell of ingot copper and East India tin | |||
| Church of the Ascension | 1873 cast1888 resold | Rockville Centre, New York | United States | Cast for Christ Church, Poughkeepsie, New York. Sold back to the foundry and resold to Church of the Ascension. | ||
| Saugerties Lighthouse | Saugerties, New York | United States | ||||
| Phi Sigma Kappa, Gamma Tetarton Chapter (Troy, NY) | 1882 dedicated | Troy, New York | United States | The building was originally St. Francis DeSales Church. Dedicated by Rev. William A. Drum. | ||
| West Point Cadet Chapel[6] | West Point, New York | United States | ||||
| King Avenue United Methodist Church[7] | Columbus, Ohio | United States | ||||
| Mt. Zion Baptist Church | Portland, Oregon | United States | Formerly Deutsche Congregationale Zion Kirche (German Congregational Zion Church) | |||
| St. Peter Cathedral (Erie, Pennsylvania) | Erie, Pennsylvania | United States | ||||
| Christ Episcopal Church (Reading, Pennsylvania) | 1874 cast | Reading, Pennsylvania | United States | Set of 10 bells | ||
| Trinity Church (Newport, Rhode Island) | Newport, Rhode Island | United States | ||||
| National Patriots Bell Tower carillon | Valley Forge National Park, Pennsylvania | United States | ||||
| St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church | 1901 cast3 bells added 1966 | Charleston, South Carolina | United States | Set of 10 bells. All bells refurbished in 2008 by Christop Paccard Bellfoundries. | ||
| Wofford College | Spartanburg, South Carolina | United States | ||||
| First United Methodist Church (Crockett, Texas) | 1859 cast1901 moved | Crockett, Texas | United States | |||
| Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church | Sherman, Texas | United States | ||||
| Cathedral Church of St. Mark | Salt Lake City, Utah | United States | ||||
| Saint Peter's Catholic Church | Rutland, Vermont | United States | ||||
| Wilder Center | Wilder, Vermont | United States | ||||
| Eastern State Hospital Medical Library, Building No. 3 | 1866 cast | Williamsburg, Virginia | United States | Signified curfews and special events at the nation's oldest psychiatric hospital |
Selected bells attributed to the Troy foundry:
| Site | Image | Dates | Location | Country | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Andrew's United Church[8] | Markham, Ontario | Canada | ||||
| Sainte-Marthe-De-Vaudreuil Catholic Church | Quebec | Canada | ||||
| Parish Church of San Andres Xecul | Totonicapan | Guatemala | ||||
| Hume Memorial Church (A.F.C.C) Congregation | 1914 cast | Ahmednagar, Maharashtra | India | |||
| Tunghai University | Taichung | Taiwan | Cast for Miss Elsie Priest | |||
| Veterans Park | 1874 cast2010 installed | Poway, California | United States | |||
| Schofield Barracks Soldiers Chapel | 1911 cast | Wahiawa, Hawaii | United States | |||
| Davis County Courthouse | 1879 cast | Bloomfield, Iowa | United States | Meneely & Kimberly | ||
| St. Patrick's Catholic Church | 1910 cast | Ogden, Kansas | United States | |||
| First Baptist Church | 1859 cast | Clinton, Louisiana | United States | |||
| Cushing Academy | 1890 cast | Ashburnham, Massachusetts | United States | Clinton H. Meneely | ||
| Church of the Sacred Heart | 1872 cast | Waseca, Minnesota | United States | Meneely & Kimberly | ||
| First Congregational United Church of Christ (Billings, Montana) | 1889 cast1957 rehung | Billings, Montana | United States | Clinton H. Meneely | ||
| Wells College, Main Building | 1922 cast | Aurora, New York | 9 bells | |||
| St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church | Brooklyn, New York | United States | ||||
| Assumption Church[9] | 1922 dedicated | Staten Island, New York | United States | |||
| Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower[10] | 1930s cast | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | United States | Meneely Bell Company. 12 bells supplemented by two bells from Petit & Fritsen in 1998. | ||
| Cortland Elementary School | 1876 cast | Cortland, Ohio | United States | Meneely & Kimberly | ||
| Phelps School | Malvern, Pennsylvania | United States | The "Victory Bell" |
The Columbian Liberty Bell was cast by Clinton H. Meneely's foundry for display at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. The bell disappeared while on tour in Europe.[11] [12]
The Meneely bell that hangs in St Anthony's Church in Prague was purchased by the Mid-European Union in October 1918 to commemorate the independence of Czechoslovakia after World War I and donated to the group's president, Thomas Masaryk, who became the head of the country's provisional government and, in 1920, the Czechoslovak president. The bell cost $2,000 and weighed 2,542 pounds (1,155 kg).