St. Michael's bells - August 24, 2020
Father Vjekoslav recently climbed up into the church's bell tower to inspect the bells and tower to see how they've been holding up over the years. While up there, he took several photos to share the view with us.
The bells in our Church were made in West Troy, NY in 1911. There is a Russian-style Cross on the front side of each of our three bells, and writing which says: “Russian Greek Orthodox Saint Michael’s Church, Mount Carmel, PA, 1911.” All three of them were made by the famous ‘Meneely Bell Co.”, which was established in 1826.
Andrew Meneely has a name and a sound that resonates across the centuries and across the Capital Region whenever church bells peal for Sunday services or the chimes of the carillon in the tower high atop Albany's City Hall pour forth crisp, ringing tones that can be heard miles away. Meneely was one of the greatest bell makers in American history and founder of the world-class Meneely Bell Foundry in West Troy, known today as Watervliet. More than 65,000 bells under the Meneely brand were cast between 1826 and 1952, when the business closed.
Meneely was a silversmith by training, an alchemist who mastered the mix of copper, tin and molten heat to produce bells of elemental beauty and exceptional functionality. The Meneely sound, revered for its rich tone and exceptional quality, can be heard in the carillons at Cornell University and Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., as well as at churches in locales as far-flung as Hawaii, Canada, Taiwan, and Guatemala.
Andrew Meneely died in 1851 at the age of 49. His sons took over the company and continued producing the best quality bells after him.
