Chiming Through History

Alumni and friends raised $8,700 to purchase the original Manchester Chime, created by the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore, Md. On Aug. 11, 1922, hundreds of people came to campus to hoist the bells up to the tower using ropes and pulleys. For decades, its songs were with students as they headed to class, and they were the backdrop for evening meals. The Chime sounded for Commencement, weddings, memorial services and special alumni gatherings. Its bells were with us in mourning after Sept. 11, 2011 and, more recently, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1968 visit to Manchester. 

A new Chime tower was one of the initiatives of the Students First! comprehensive campaign. When the estimate inevitably rose over the intervening years, generous donors stepped in to help make up the difference. The Verdin Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, refurbished and tuned the 10 original bells and they constructed the new tower with four additional bells.