Bell from inside the belfry
For decades, the Arlington Historical Society has held an end-of-year fundraising campaign named the Bellringer Campaign. It is named for the bell located at the Hume School, the oldest standing school in the county, which opened in 1893.
The bell—which started ringing in 1893 when the Hume School opened–was produced by the oldest bell foundry in the country, the McShane Bell Foundry of Baltimore. Founded in 1856, McShane has produced more than 300,000 bells for churches, municipal buildings, and schools all over the world.
Image of the bell foundry c. 1900
Founder Henry McShane, a teen-age immigrant from Ireland to Baltimore was born in 1830 and immigrated in 1847. He initially got a job in a Baltimore brass factory but later he struck out on his own and opened the McShane Bell Foundry.
Here’s a brief timeline of the company’s milestones:
— 1873: McShane opened a second facility near where The Baltimore Sun building now sits on Guilford Avenue (then called North Street).
— 1873-1887: McShane earned “Highest Awards for Church Bells and Chimes” at fairs and exhibitions, including the Centennial Exhibition 1876.
— 1893: McShane Bell Foundry produces and installs the Hume School bell.
— 1897: McShane produced the bell for the University of Virginia chapel’s sandstone bell tower.
— 1907: The McShane Bell Foundry was commissioned to make the Pocahontas Bell to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the founding of Virginia.
— 1935, the Henry McShane Manufacturing Company sold the foundry to William Parker, whose family operated the business for three generations.
— 1948: A spectacular fire burned McShane to the ground. The fire was deemed arson, caused by an employee. And not just any employee– the half-brother of the president.
— 1953: McShane casts a replica of the Liberty Bell. The 300-pound bell toured all 48 states in an effort to raise $5 million for the National Association for Mental Health.
— 1979: The McShane Bell Foundry moved from Baltimore to Glen Burnie, MD
— 2019, ownership of the company changed, and it was relocated to Saint Louis, Missouri and it is still the McShane Bell Company.
The “Dirty Jobs” reality show spotlighted the foundry in an episode named “Bell Maker” that aired in Dec 12, 2006 on the Discovery Channel. It’s now available on You Tube and the McShane Bell Foundry segment showing how bells are made today, begins at 18:40
Bells on a truck: McShane is 2nd from the right
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