East Longmeadow’s 141-year-old town bell is deteriorating from exposure to weather as it sits in front of the Town Hall.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen
EAST LONGMEADOW — “Ask not for whom the bell tolls,” English poet John Donne famously wrote. East Longmeadow’s town bell has not tolled in more than 30 years, as it sits aging in front of the Town Hall. Now, Community Preservation Committee Chair Tom Behan said this piece of town history is in need of restoration.
The bell dates to 1884, when it was commissioned from Meneely Bell Foundry in what was then West Troy, New York. Two years earlier, the current Town Hall was built as a school and meeting house for the area known at the time as Longmeadow’s East Village.
It is one of four large belltower bells in East Longmeadow, with the others housed at the First Congregational Church, St. Michael’s Parish and the First Baptist Church. The bronze bell weighs 350 pounds, but with the iron yolk and A-frame, the weight is about double that.
The bell was last rung in 1994 for the town’s centennial anniversary, when it was rung 100 times for the town’s 100 years of existence. Prior to that, it had not been tolled since 1945, when Japan surrendered to Allied forces in World War II.
The bell was removed from the tower around 2005 and set on a Redstone base in front of the Town Hall, Behan said. Of the reason it was removed, he added, “I don’t know exactly. I don’t know if it was to display it. That bell tower has been sealed off.”
Over the years, exposure to the elements has taken its toll on the bell’s condition. When seeking the Town Council’s permission to restore the bell, Behan explained that the protective finish on the yolk has worn away, allowing it to rust and the layers of patina on the bell are beginning to pit the bronze and corrode the material.
To restore the antique, the bell will need to be disassembled and shipped to a company that specializes in such work. Behan is seeking quotes. The yoke and A-frame will be sand-blasted and powder coated. As bronze is a soft metal, Behan explained that the bell itself will be “soft-blasted” using a gentle abrasive, such as crushed walnut shells, to remove patina without damaging the underlying material.
“It’s not going to be shining bronze, or anything,” Behan noted. Not all the patina will be removed, preserving the look of the bell’s age. It will then be clear-coated for protection. The wooden wheel, which operates the ringer, would be replaced with a steel one that is period appropriate. At its Feb. 11 meeting, the Town Council approved $12,000 of Community Preservation funding for the project, which will also include a new base and hardware.
If left in place outside on the lawn, Behan said the work would have to be repeated in 20 years. Instead, in talks with Town Manager Tom Christensen, it was suggested the bell be displayed in the lobby of the new Town Offices at 382 N. Main St. According to Behan, it would likely be placed under an acrylic barrier to keep people from touching it or trying to ring the bell, which is still operable more than 140 years after it was cast.
