Power of Bells

The power of bells rings loud across Lisle, Illinois!

This past Easter, St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church unveiled their new bell tower to the community, thanks to an anonymous donor. This unique tower shows the beauty of the refurbished bells with its open and “arch” like design.

The Church has acquired and had in their possession five historical bells. “For so many years our people… thought of them as anachronistic decorations,” said Father of St. Joan of Arch. “When they heard them ring… they recognized that these were living symbols that have a profound impact on the religious psyche of a community.” Two bells are from the parish by the Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery. A fourth bell was given to the parish by Monks of St. Procopius Abbey and the fifth recently was donated by the Lisle Heritage Society. Therefore, it was time to provide the bells a home together. But first, the refurbishment of the bells to show their true colors and inscriptions.

Possibly one of the most interesting parts of this project is the inscription on the largest bell. A rough translation of the Czech text inscribed reads as followed…

Oh, the sacred and godly bell!

As your heart begins to beat in you

Let the hearts of all drown in prayer

May your clear sound protect everyone!

When your voice in the temple is called to godliness

Let the people draw before the alter with sweet power

Blessed dreams would flow to the couple

May your prayer reach God

And the soul you have ring to the edge

Your music will accompany the gate to Heaven.

This truly shows the power of bells to the faithful.

The custom arch like tower stands 25 feet tall and houses all 5 bells, side by side. Each bell has the ability to swing, and the largest bell can also toll with an outside striker. With a long roof to top off the tower, and two legs, the horizontal structure is one of the more unique towers you will find.

The Verdin Company is happy to have created this landmark for you community. We hope the bells continue to serve as the “Voice of God”, and the presence of St. Joan of Arc is heard.

See a video of the manufacturing process on our YouTube!

Bell and Carillon Projects

  • Full picture of Glockenspiel

    Full capture of the Glockenspiel in Saskatchewan, Canada.

    City of Regina, Saskatoon

  • Close up, outside the tower

    View from outside First Plymouth Church, looking up to the carillon.

    First Plymouth Church in Lincoln, NE

  • Bell carillon tower in Corpus Christi, TX

    Full picture of the 30ft tower with 51 carillon bells.

    First Baptist in Corpus Christi, TX

  • Inside view of the singular bell

    Look into the tower to see the singular bell at Bell Tower Green Park.

    Bell Tower Green Park in Salisbury, NC

  • Veterans bell in Ridgeland, MS

    A look at the Ridgeland Veterans bell in the factory of The Verdin Company.

    Veterans bell in Ridgeland, MS
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The year 2021 brought some pretty unforgettable bell and carillon projects for The Verdin Company. These are just a few. The five customers featured recently held dedications for important restorations and new bell ringing equipment projects and/or installations.

Glockenspiel

To start, the City of Regina, Saskatoon celebrated the restoration and re-installation of the historic glockenspiel in Victoria Park October 19th. The glockenspiel honors the accomplishments of the German community.  Originally installed in 1980 it was then put into storage in 2010. Verdin installed the renovation glockenspiel late in 2020.  Listen to this unique instrument play at the beginning of this story by CTVNews, Canada. This story by the Leader Post includes a test of the bells.

Bell Carillon Restoration

Second, First Plymouth Congregational Church in Lincoln, NE dedicated its restored 57 bell carillon on November 12th.  The Church also held a concert to celebrate as reported in this article by the Journal Star. This unusually designed carillon features several of the bells on the façade of the tower. Enjoy a peek of this tower in the pictures above!

Bell Carillon Restoration & Tower

Third, First Baptist Church in Corpus Christi, TX dedicated a 30 foot tower with 51 bronze carillon bells. Originally established in 1976, the tower and other equipment were then taken down.  Wear and tear took their toll due to the corrosive nature of the weather next to salt water. You can see the original bells and tower in this article by the Caller Times.  According to our records, the church first consulted The Verdin Company in 2002 about the condition of the carillon.  Many decades of donations from the congregation and community lead to the dedication of the tower this past fall. Check out this article by kiiitv for a video of the new tower and restored bells coming to Ocean Drive.

Historic Bell

Fourth, Bell Tower Green Park held a dedication and is now open to the public in Salisbury, NC. The bell tower was left standing in 1971 when the 1892 built First Presbyterian Church was razed.  Restoration of this historic structure began in in 2017.  Bell ringing equipment provided by The Verdin Company simplifies the process of sounding the historic bell. The creation and update of the park took some time and is long anticipated by the community. Check out the highly praised Bell Tower Green Park at their website.

Veterans’ Bell

Last, and not least, in the City of Ridgeland, MS  Veterans Memory Park is now open after a dedication ceremony. A new bell rings on grounds of City Hall as of Veterans Day. The bell sits on a tower by the Walk of Hero’s that honors the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. All these features create a beautiful sight and memorial for our veterans.  This story by WJTV News shows the beautiful scenery and recently dedicated, 145 pound bell.

The Verdin Company is a proud partner for every one of these bell and carillon projects.  Also, we are grateful for being able to do meaningful bell work all across North America. Lastly, Thank you for the opportunity to be in the heart of each community.

Electronic Carillon Bells Wow a Community

The addition of new electronic carillon bells creates nothing but positive chatter in Waynesville, Missouri! In a small town of 5,000 with many churches, Westside Baptist Church is the first in the community with a bell/chime system. They entrusted the Verdin Company to install a new the Adagio II carillon system.

This would not have been possible without the donor family. Sherye Sharp and her sisters donated the carillon in their father’s name who passed away recently. As a result, the project moved forward.

“My father was very open about his faith and his love for our country. We daughters feel the bell/chimes give him a voice to proclaim this…” Sherye wrote to The Verdin Company.

The Sharp family are not the only people in the community to notice the beautiful sounds from Westside Baptist Church. Similarly, patrons and citizens enjoy the new music. From signing in the church parking lot, to listening in the park, the sounds can be heard across town.

“Many have remarked about the peaceful, calming nature of the music, and how it adds to their Sunday worship experience. Some have been seen singing along with the song in the parking lot.  They are certainly a bright spot in this increasingly dark and chaotic world.”

The sisters not only heard positive feedback by word of mouth, but by letters and notes.

“I received a handwritten note from a women that lives close to the church saying how she often stopped what she was doing at home to listen… Others have said they stop their yard work to listen, or they just make a point to step outside to listen”, Sherye writes.

This is the second story we have shared recently where a community gives high praise to the Adagio II carillon system. In addition we received positive remarks from Woodlawn Cemetery Chapel in Canandaigua, NY.

The Verdin Company is ecstatic to here good news about the Adagio II from Westside Baptist Church as well. It shows the impact of the sound of bells on a community, even if through an electronic carillon system. Furthermore, we hope the joyous sounds uplift the community for decades to come.

Click here to learn more about electronic carillon bells!

Historic Bells Restored thanks to Donor!

The generosity of a donor helps the Nativity of Mary Parish (St. Mary’s) restore their historic bells! In early 2021, Carol Berner decided to make a generous donation to complete the bell restoration project. The donation is in honor of her late husband who passed just last year.

Read more

Barrie’s newest landmark

The four-faced, 18-foot tall post clock was installed in Barrie, Ontario, Canada to honor Canada’s 150th birthday and the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International’s 100th anniversary. The clock has become Barrie’s newest landmark and completes a revamped waterfront that includes a new footbridge, separate bike path and extended boardwalk.

“We are thrilled with the public support of this initiative,” project co-chairperson Arlette Utton said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for the citizens of Barrie to participate in this community project and leave their mark.”

At the base of the post clock are more than 1,000 personalized granite bricks that were sold to fund the cost of the entire waterfront project.

Verdin is a licensed vendor of Rotary post clocks and tower clocks.

Verdin to Mark 175th Anniversary

  • Book of The Verdin Company History

    Book of The Verdin Company History

  • Verdin 175th Anniversary Logo

    Verdin 175th Anniversary Logo
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The Verdin Company this year celebrates the 175th Anniversary of its founding.

The history of Verdin is a history of innovation and vision. Founded in Cincinnati by French immigrants Francis de Sales and Michael Verdin in 1842, Verdin first developed clocks with revolutionary designs and created several patented inventions to perfect the timekeeping of clocks and automatic ringing of bells. Verdin’s first installation was four tower clocks at Old Saint Mary’s Catholic Church in the Over-the-Rhine community in Cincinnati. By the turn of the century, the company was innovating and expanding its products worldwide. The Verdin name became synonymous with superior quality and craftsmanship. Today, Verdin is still committed to producing the highest-quality bells, clocks, and towers in the world. Verdin continues to design and build its products at its Cincinnati manufacturing facility using many of the same techniques developed by the Verdin family more than a century ago and honed over the decades.

“Year after year, the Verdin products continue to represent innovation, superior quality, and craftsmanship,” said Jim Verdin, president of The Verdin Company. “The 175th Anniversary is an opportunity for us to celebrate a milestone and to reflect on our extensive history. We look forward to sharing the Verdin story at special events and celebrations across the country.”

Verdin has over 55,000 installations worldwide.