Patriotic sounds
Church’s bells ring for Patriots and PioneersBy Connie Cartmell, ccartmell@mariettatimes.com
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Fact Box
Today's schedule
Five Days with the Patriots and Pioneers of Washington County, final day highlights:
Annual Pioneers Day Bell Ringing at the Fearing House, Harmar Village. All Harmar Elementary School students will participate during the day. The event is open to the public during regular school hours.
Washington County Historical Society Pioneer Day Dinner, Comfort Inn, Marietta. Guest speaker is author Alan Fitzpatrick of Canada. He is author of "Wilderness War on the Ohio, The Untold Story of the Savage Battle for British and Indian Control of the Ohio Country During the American Revolution."
In addition, the historical society will have its annual meeting and elect the board of trustees.
For more information: (740) 525-1943.
If you heard the bells Monday, ringing out patriotic tunes from the north tower of the First Congregational Church, you were not alone.
Nancy Hoy of Marietta heard them, too.
"I purposefully got my lunch and was sitting in my car across from the church, windows rolled down, to hear the bells," she said. "I planned to sit in the park, but the weather wasn't too good."
Hoy, an architectural historian, longtime member of the Washington County Historical Society and new trustee of Campus Martius' Friends of the Museum, stayed for the entire concert.
"I loved it," she said. "It was a nice addition to the whole weekend."
It was part of the Five Days with the Patriots and Pioneers of Washington County, a series of history- and genealogy-centric events that culminates today in the annual ringing of the bell at the Henry Fearing House and county historical society dinner.
For 30 minutes Monday, from noon to 12:30 p.m., Marietta was treated to the ringing of the 10-bell carillon through a series of selections played by Nancy Riley and Scott Britton.
Riley, regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), is the regular church carillon player. Britton is secretary of the Marietta Chapter Sons of the American Revolution.
"People ask me why I don't go to exercise class and I tell them I don't really need it because I play this," Riley said with a smile.
The bells, actually chimes (a carillon has 21 bells), have 10 bells from the smallest at 250 pounds to the largest, 2,000 pounds, according to Larry Dye of Newport, who played them more than 40 years.
Each is "rung" with a wooden lever that is hand-pulled downward with a strong motion to activate the clapper to the bell.
It is played each Sunday before the 10 a.m. service and often for weddings and funerals. These are mechanical, or manual, bells, not electronic or recorded like many church carillon systems, said Pastor Linda Steelman.
"We had a longtime church member who 'found' us when he heard the carillons, found the church and stayed on," she said. "People often assume it is recorded."
Given by the Mills family of Marietta, the bells were dedicated Dec. 17, 1922. The church burned more a decade before and the main "meeting house" bell survived the fire and is still in place today.
"The chimes are on the national register of carillons and are constantly in use, at least three days a week," Steelman said.
The Meneely Bell Co. of Troy, N.Y., manufactured the instrument.
"It's fun," Riley said.
She began playing after Dye suffered a stroke in 2005. He hopes to return for special concerts.
"We used to play at midnight on New Year's Eve and on Christmas Eve," he said. "I miss it. We also did a couple of 'bells in the park' concerts of popular music."
People like the "unique" sounds of the bells, he said.
Dye said the bells at First Congregational Church are a tradition and when people hear them, they tend to think of life on a higher plane. The music raises spirits.
There is a downside when you play music heard all over town.
"If you make a mistake, everybody will hear it," Dye said. "There is no taking it back."
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Francia
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04-07-09 12:09 PM
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Amendment I (Constitution of U.S.): "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." As this church was the one most attended by our city founders, it is very appropriate in my opinion that they should resound the bells in Patriotic fashion. God Bless America!
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JamesEddy
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04-07-09 10:54 AM
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If you heard the bells Monday, ringing out patriotic tunes from the north tower of the First Congregational Church, you were not alone this does not have to do with GOD except it was played at the church it was patriotic songs played so try to read more closely. But this country was formed on the bases of GOD but we still try to seprate church and state if it can
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alchemy
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04-07-09 10:23 AM
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What does patriotism have to do with God?
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