The Meneely Bell Foundry was a bellfoundry established in 1826 in West Troy (now Watervliet), New York, by Andrew Meneely.[citation needed] 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]
Below is a sample of locations where Meneely Bell Foundry bells can be found:
Phi Sigma Kappa, Gamma Tetarton Chapter (Troy, NY). The engraving on the bell in the chapter house (former St. Francis DeSales Church) reads: "This bell is dedicated to St. Francis Church by Rev. William A. Drum, pastor in memory of his deceased mother, Easter Sunday, April 9, 1882".
First Presbyterian Church of Adrian-Adrian, Michigan. Bell cast 1846 and arrived on December 31. Weighing 1601 pounds, it was hoisted into positioned into place and rang in the New Year 1847.
St. Mary Catholic Church, Bethel, Connecticut (this bell was in the original church, located on Greenwood Ave. in Bethel but was taken out of the steeple and placed on display behind the "new" church on Dodgingtown Road)
San Jose State University in San Jose, California "Cast to commemorate the California State Normal School in 1881, this 3,000-pound bell was rung at 8 a.m each morning until the earthquake that stilled its voice in 1903. In 1910, the bell was re-installed in the main building of the newly constructed Tower Hall, where it was rung on special occasions. In the early 1960s, seismic concerns led to its retirement and relocation at ground level."
Eastern State Hospital Medical Library, Building No. 3, Williamsburg, Virginia is the location of a Meneely Bell carrying the manufacturer's date of 1886. It was originally utilized to signify curfews and special events at the nation's oldest psychiatric hospital, established in 1773.
Church of the Ascension, Rockville Centre, New York. (1873 bell) Cast for Christ Church, Poughkeepsie, New York. Sold back to Meneely bell foundry and resold in 1888 to Church of the Ascension.
A Meneely & Kimberly bell remains in front of the Cortland Elementary School in Cortland, Ohio. The school was once named Cortland Union School as cast on the bell 1876.
The Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The twelve original bells were cast by the Meneely Bell Company [8] in the early 1930s, and supplemented by two bells from Petit & Fritsen, Belgium in 1998.
St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Ogden, Kansas. Bell dated 1910
Hume Memorial Church (A.F.C.C) Congregation. Ahmednagar, Maharashtra India. Bell is dated 1914. This Bell is still functioning and can be heard on every Sunday at 8.30 am
First Baptist Church of Clinton, LA. Bell dated 1859.
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]
Saint Anthony’s Church Bell, Prague, Czech Republic
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).