The Steeple
Bell
Did I mention that the view from up here is spectacular? It’s a little windy today, but it’s worth it! Take your time, there is far more to see than you will notice in one visit. We can now read the inscription cast into the upper part of the bell - “CAST BY GEORGE H. HOLBROOK EAST MEDWAY MASS. 1851”. George Holbrook was the third major bellfounder in America, following Aaron Hobart and Paul Revere. The Holbrook foundry cast many of the bells in the old New England churches between 1816 and 1878. About 95 are still ringing. A few made it as far away as the missions in Santa Barbara, San Gabriel and Monterey. It was in 1839 that this congregation split between Unitarian and Trinitarian theologies. Three years later, the bell tower was added and the main Sanctuary was divided into two floors. It apparently took another 9 years to raise the funds for the bell. As we gaze at the bell, the massiveness of the cast iron yoke holding it becomes more noticeable. This balances the bell so that it swings around the center of gravity. Without this, there would be no way for someone to make it move at all by pulling the rope. We look around once more at the Town Center, the cemeteries, Nobscot Hill and Tippling Rock, distant horizons, the trees and sky … it’s getting cool … it’s time to go down.