Meneely Bell Foundry

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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 in Troy, New York in 1870. Together, the two foundries produced about 65,000 bells before they closed in 1952.[1]

Contents

[edit] Bell locations

Below is a sample of locations where Meneely Bell Foundry bells can be seen and heard:

[edit] Columbian Liberty 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. [6] [7] [8] [9]

[edit] Meneely Bell in Kostel Svateho Antonina (Saint Anthony’s Church) at Strossmayerovo Namesti (Prague 7 - Holesovice, Czech Republic)
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Saint Anthony's Church

The bell in the tower

View from the bell tower

Originally ordered by Herbert Adolphus of the Democratic Mid-European Union in October 1918, the American Liberty Bell remake produced by the Meneely Bell Company to commemorate the independence of the Czech Republic after World War I now hangs in Kostel Svateho Antonina (Saint Anthony’s Church) in Strossmayerovo Namesti in Prague 7 – Holesovice, Czech Republic. The church’s construction began in 1908 and was completed October 25th, 1914. It has two towers; one contains the Meneely Bell and the other houses a bell made circa 1573 by Bricel. The second bell was originally hanging in a smaller Romanesque church originally built circa 1234, Svateho Clamenta (Saint Clement’s). It was moved to Svateho Antonina because it was a larger church.

The Meneely Bell of Troy, NY, originally costing $2,000 to produce and weighing in at 2,542 pounds (1,155 kg), was donated to then President of the Czech Republic, Tomas G. Masaryk. It was named “Svaty Vaclav” after Svaty Vaclav (Saint Wenceslas), a famous King of the Bohemian Crown lands. His statue stands triumphantly at the head of Vaclavske Namesti (Wenceslas Square), the site of the Velvet Revolution in 1989 which brought the end of Communism in former Czechoslovakia. The bell was stored in Prague Castle after its donation, and for sometime was believed to have been melted down for weapons during World War II as its whereabouts were unknown until the 1980s when it was hung 133 steps high in the left tower of the church (facing the church front). It remains in possession of the President’s Office to this day, even though it hangs in Saint Anthony’s.

In reality, around 1950, a member of the Communist Party situated in Prague Castle at the time named Captain Vicarius Stehlik had the bell hidden away for safe keeping in a small room below the tower of Svateho Antonina where it hangs today. Kostel Svateho Antonina was a perfect candidate for the bell as Captain Stehlik was personally acquainted with the church. He knew the church was missing the bell that originally hung in the left tower since it was stolen and melted down by German troops during World War I. “Svaty Vaclav” sat in that lonely room for some 30 years and was finally hung in 1981. 63 years after its donation, you could finally hear it ring. It is still hanging in Saint Anthony’s today and continues to ring everyday.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Meneely Bell Online Museum
  2. ^ Meneely Bell Rings Again, Jamesville Community Museum Newsletter, 2 February 2008
  3. ^ Wofford's Bell, From The Archives, 25 January 2008
  4. ^ Newton Churches
  5. ^ King Avenue United Methodist Church
  6. ^ Wonderful Liberty Bell - It is to Contain Historical Relics of Great Value - It Will Be Cast At Troy Next Month and Will Weigh 13,000 Pounds, New York Times 24 April 1893
  7. ^ Columbian Liberty Bell Cast - The Operation A Success, It Is Thought, New York Times, 23 June 1893
  8. ^ Columbian Liberty Bell, Liberty Bell Museum
  9. ^ Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference

[edit] See also

[edit] External links


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