Restored Bell Tolls Once Again

From New York-

When, in 1908, Mrs. Russell Sage purchased one 2,000-pound bell from the Meneely Bell Company for the Christ Episcopal Church in Sag Harbor Village it came with a guarantee that it would work for ten years. The bell outlasted its warranty by 92 years, until cracks in its wooden support mechanism rendered it inoperable in the fall of 2010.

Now, the bell is once again sounding over Sag Harbor thanks to a fundraising effort led by parishioner David Bray in memory of his partner Neal Hartman, who died in October, 2010.

The new bell will be officially dedicated to Hartman during a short ceremony this Sunday — marking the beginning of another chapter in the history of an object that has been in use for more than 100 years.

When he was still alive, Hartman would ring the bell at the end of services every Sunday. It was shortly after he passed away that the church had to stop using the bell because of the damage to the surrounding wood. A company brought in by the parish also recommended that the bell be repainted and that crucial bolts be replaced, since they had been in use for more than a century.

More here-

http://sagharboronline.com/sagharborexpress/community/restored-bell-tolls-once-again-17818