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!

Historic Clock Tower Restoration

Let’s revisit some historic clock tower restoration projects and their new life! The Verdin Company would like to show you inside the towers and the stories of the restorations. First lets introduce each project. St. Peter Catholic Cathedral is in Erie, Pennsylvania built into a beautiful brick structure.

Read more

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
PreviousNext
12345

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.

Historic church bells note city anniversary

There is more than one way to preserve the sound of historic church bells. These in a decorative clock tower to note a city Anniversary is one we love at The Verdin Company.

Read more

Oakland City University dedicates clock and bell tower

Campus is a special place

A campus is a place of interwoven experiences, a place to live, learn, work and play. It’s a place to fall in love and a place to build lifelong friendships. The community of students, staff, faculty and alumni connect with the school history and traditions. These are embraced as a basis of pride and distinction.

Traditions, old and new, make it special

The Verdin Company shares with honor this story of Oakland City University which trusted us to enhance their special campus. How? with the installation of Verdin custom manufactured 50′ clock and bell tower. Talk about tradition! The tower was recently dedicated in the name of Jerry Phillips, Class of 1959, and professor from 1963 until retirement in 2001.

This excerpt from the invocation prayer by Dr. Douglas Low, Dean of the Seminary, illustrates how such installations inspire campus communities.

“We seek to honor your servant, Jerry Phillips, who spent hours upon hours in work on this campus…

May this Clock now mark the minutes and hours of our service here, reminding us as we pass by, of the passing of time; the bells asking us to check the quality of our obedience, and alerting us to measure our minutes by acts of integrity, justice, and loving-kindness.

May its music gladden our steps and encourage us to be cheerful givers of our time to each other and to our students, and amid all our duties may its songs remind us to offer you praise for having given us this moment to live and to love.”

This article covering the dedication by 14News contains video of the dedication and quotes Dr. Ron Dempsey, the President of Oakland City University,
“Clearly, it’s going to be the iconic structure on campus. As you come up the entrance, it’s the first thing you’re going to see. Also, I think it adds an even more collegiate feel to the University.”

With appreciation

We are grateful to President Dempsey and Oakland State University, for your trust to manufacture and install this one-of-a-kind tower.

The Verdin Company has partnered with more than 1,000 colleges and universities – big and small – to create treasured campus landmarks. If you’d like to learn more about our campus work click through!

Bell and clock tower at The University of Mississippi

Peddle Bell Tower

36 stunning bronze bells in the Peddle Bell Tower ring out a message of inspiration in the daily life at a public university. A keyboard enables the carillonneur to perform right on the instrument. The system can also be operated by a computerized, automatic system to ring out the hour, half hour, and special music such as The University of Mississippi alma mater. The bell tower and carillon are a gift to the university from Frank and Marge Peddle of Oxford.

Walking across a college or university campus can be one of the most memorable experiences of “place” that people ever encounter. At a university, prospective students, their parents, and faculty count the overall feel of a campus as one of the key decision points when selecting a school. The campus can have a calming effect as well as offer initial impression of the level of education and care that will be provided. In a sense, a campus is a temporary home to many different people who have many different needs. The challenge is making that home feel comfortable and a “place” they will remember fondly, come back to, support, and encourage the next generation of family to attend.

Veterans, Fire, & Police Tribute Tower

The Village of Evendale, Ohio honored the village’s veterans, fire and police with the installation of a Tribute Tower in time for the 2017 Memorial Day weekend.

Verdin designed and built the tower and is casting the 24″ bronze bell on site using their mobile Bell Foundry on Wheels.

“We are pleased to join with the town of Evendale to honor veterans, firefighters and police officers in such a long-lasting and visible way,” said Jim Verdin, president of The Verdin Company. “Each Tribute Tower instills a collective pride in the communities they serve.”

The Tribute Tower stands at 30 feet tall and includes four clock faces that read, “Take Time to Remember.” The tower also includes an electronic carillon that plays Westminster chime and hour strikes, patriotic and seasonal music.

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
PreviousNext
12

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.