The 12 bell Clinton Meneely of Troy Chime

One of the most impressive religious rites ever conducted in Troy was the blessing of the bells on December 6, 1925 by the Most Reverend Edmund F. Gibbons, D.D., Bishop of Albany. Upwards of four thousand thronged to witness this solemn ceremony.

Our chimes are played from a chime stand two levels below the actual bells.

A visiting chimer pushes the pump handles down to pull the clappers into the bells.
Joe Connors, whose father played the chime many years ago currently plays the chime.
It is a pleasure to have four more chimers in training so they will never be silent.

A very special event. Ringing in the Millennium with a 15 minute cacophony of bells. Some vertical rods are connected to the pump handles by makeshift belts, as new ones are next to impossible to have made.

The rods and chains go thru a 3-level transmission to get to all of the bell clappers.

Chiming bells are mounted stationery and do not swing.

There was never a standardized way of playing chimes, so each Foundry came up with its own method of playing its chimes, as you can see on this web page. show me on the AllChimes web site.

The first chime in America was installed in 1853 in Philadelphia.
Three of the top four major American chime foundries were in the Troy area: Andrew Meneely 170+, Clinton Meneely 160+, Eber Jones 23.

Many chimes were installed in Troy and the local area:

Holy Cross Episcopal, 1855, 5 bells, Andrew Meneely foundry, 1 bell by Jones&Hitchcock, Troy
Woodside Presbyterian, 1869, 9 bells, Andrew Meneely foundry, West Troy.
Ascension Episcopal, 1870, 9 bells, Andrew Meneely foundry
St. Peters Catholic, 1896, 10 bells, Clinton Meneely foundry, Troy, electrified.

St. Johns Episcopal, 1911, 11 bells, Clinton Meneely foundry.
St. Josephs Catholic, 1920, 12 bells, Clinton Meneely foundry, electrified.
St. Patricks Catholic, 1925, 12 bells, Clinton Meneely foundry.
Grace Episcopal, Waterford, 1923, 10 bells, Clinton Meneely foundry, electrified

Cathedral Of Immaculate Conception, Albany, 1862, 10 bells, Andrew Meneely, abandoned.
St. Peters Episcopal, Albany, 1875, 11 bells, Meneely & Kimberly foundry, Troy.
St. Marys Catholic, Albany, 1922, 16 Tubular chimes, Deagan, Chicago, disconnected.
St. Josephs (in transition), Albany, 1906, 10 bells, Clinton Meneely foundry, playable
City Hall Carillon, Albany, 1927, 49 Bells, Taylor Foundry, England.

Union College Chimola, Schenectady, 1925, 11 bells, Andrew Meneely fouondry.
St. John the Evangelist, Schenectady, 1925, 25 Tubular chimes, Deagan, Chicago, played.

St. Agnes, Cohoes, 1925, 15 bells, Clinton Meneely foundry, removed, in storage
St. Bernards, Cohoes, 1871, 9 bells, Jones Bell foundry, Troy, fell across RR tracks during severe storm of 2/5/1876, dispersed, now has electronic system.
St. Augustines, Troy, never a chime of real bells, has new electronic chime, the best cost effective alternative.

Each St. Patricks bell has a dedication:
1. The Sacred Heart
2. Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
3. St. Joseph, patron of a happy death
4. Saints Peter and Paul
5. St. Patrick, patron saint of the parish
6. St. Therese, the Little Flower
7. St. Rose of Lima and her model, St. Catherine of Siena
8. The Bishop's bell, In honor of Bishop Gibbons
9. St. Lucia, in honor of Sister Lucille, who spent thirty-eight years in education
10. In thanksgiving for the blessing of a Catholic education
11. To the honor and glory of true womanhood, Ladies Catholic Benevolent Society
12. Bell of peace, those who served in WWI.

They would have been then hung in the tower by whatever means available.
A square cutout in many tower ceilings (as at St. Patricks) is where the bells were often raised.

Research into all North American chimes and the chimers web site WWW.AllChimes.com was spawned by chance meetings between parishioners Gene Burns (former neighbor of the Watervliet Meneely family and bell historian), Joe Connors (our second generation chimer), Ed Kehn (former employee of the Troy Meneely foundry) and Andy Mace (chimer at St. Johns).
Much credit also goes to Fr. Thomas Kelly, whose love of the irish tunes played and encouragement in all chime endeavors was outstanding.
This web site includes a list of all known chimes, suggestions for learning to play them, where they are located, available music, facts, pictures, and chimer conferences.
Previous to this, there was no coordinated reference anywhere about chimes.