Erected in 1895, our bell tower will once again ring out with the sound of cast bronze bells after standing silent for over twenty years. Thanks to generous donations, a refurbished electronic carillon system was installed this week. The carillon uses digitally sampled tones of bronze bells in Belgium which provide a warm, authentic sound, and rings out the hours from 8 in the morning until 10 at night, together with a selection of hymns at noon and 6 pm.
The project began with a call to our former music director, Elaine Conger, whose research on our behalf led us to Chuck White of White’s Clock & Carillon, a company located in Sharpsburg, Georgia. Their company also services the Bicentennial Park Carillon in Nashville, and they were able to combine a service call there with a side trip to Grace Church.
The next step was a scouting mission by Chester Evans, who climbed up into the bell tower to photograph remnants of our earlier system so that the carillon company could determine if any part of it might be salvageable.
Thankfully parts of the old system were able to be reused, which allowed us to add a new feature – a remote control to activate the bells even when away from the master unit. This may come in handy during community events like the Downtown Churches Advent Walk.
The refurbishment project is dedicated to the memory of Father Will Holt because of his love of Grace Church and ours for him.