The Eloise Chimes

*Location:

   Hulley Tower
   John B Stetson University
   North Woodland Blvd (US Highway 17),
     north of Minnesota Avenue
   De Land, Florida, USA
   LL: N 29.03615, W 81.30322

   Elizabeth Hall

Site locator map

*Player:

   (unknown)

*Contact:

   Alumni Relations Office
   Stetson University
   421 North Woodland Boulevard
   De Land, FL  32720-7217
   T: 386-822-7483
   E: alumni@stetson.edu
   - or -
   T: 386-822-7100  [main switchboard]
   - or -
   Boyd Jones, University Organist
     and Professor of Organ
   School of Music
   T: 386-822-8955
   E: bjones@stetson.edu

*Schedule:

   (unknown)

*Remarks:

   With all semitones except the 2 lowest
   (as described by the University),
   this would be the smallest known
   mini-carillon.
   However, foundry records indicate a
   more conventional arrangement:
   15J11:DE/NONE with sharp 4th & flat 7th
   and swinging tenor.
   July 2005: structural weakness led to
   removal of the bells and dismantling
   of the tower above the mausoleum level;
   plans for restoration or replacement
   are not yet complete.

*Technical data:

   Chime-sized instrument (without any workable playing mechanism) of 11 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell is D  in the middle octave
   Keyboard range:     D D   /    NONE  
   Transposition is nil (concert pitch)
   There are two missing bass semitones
   The whole instrument was installed in 1915
     with bells made by McShane          
   Auxiliary mechanisms: nC    
   Tower details not available
   Year of latest technical information source is 2005

Part of a fundraising effort for rebuilding the tower and installing new bells, this page has descriptions and photos of the rebuilt tower, and mentions the disposition of the old bells from this chime.

The University Website includes at least the following resources:
a page about the tower, including historic photos of it, the bells and the chimestand;
a campus page with a current photo of the truncated tower;
a photo taken during demolition of the upper part of the tower.
another historic photo of the tower;
One of the chime bells is now portable, in use in association with home football games.

The #8 bell from the chime is currently on display in front of the Henry A. DeLand House Museum, part of the Conrad Center Complex of the West Volusia Historical Society.  Located on West Michigan Avenue at North Florida Avenue, it is not visible from overhead photography, but is clearly visible in Google StreetView.

Where this work lies in the sequence of output of the McShane bellfoundry.

Other chimes which qualify as mini-carillons.

Ranking among all North American chimes by size (number of bells).
Ranking among all North American chimes by weight (pitch).
Ranking among all North American chimes by year of completion.

Index to all tower bell instruments in FL, including the new automatic carillon here.

   This page was built from the database on  2-Mar-25
   based on textual data last updated on 2025/01/25
   and on technical data last updated on 2005/07/08