Rings in North America:
index by year of original completion

The 62 rings (tower bells hung for change-ringing, plus one mini-ring) which are known to have been installed or contracted in North America were (or are expected to be) completed in the chronological sequence shown here.  In each case, the year shown reflects when the tower reached a significant number of bells; notes (*) indicate earlier stages along the way, as well as later enlargements.  Later recastings are also mentioned as notes.  Defunct rings, as well as those converted to chimes, are listed here as a matter of historical record, making this "year of completion" index different from all others on this Website.  Not shown here are places where there are plans to install a ring but no contract to do so has yet been reported.

NOTE: If you do not find here a city (or instrument) which you think should be listed, then check the combined index to all North American sites or the list of defunct chimes and rings.

Of the 63 installations, 54 are believed to be currently ringable.

At the bottom of this page is a chart which depicts somewhat graphically the number of installations per decade.


18th century - 5 installations (2 currently ringable)
BOSTON - CC                   : USA - MA     1744
   Christ Church ("Old North"; Episcopal) 
Dorchester                    : USA - SC     1751+
   St.George's Episcopal Church
   (defunct)
PHILADELPHIA - CC             : USA - PA     1754  chime
   Christ Church (Episcopal)
   unringable since before 1939
CHARLESTON - STMI             : USA - SC     1764  *
   St.Michael's Episcopal Church 
   * (was unringable c.1830-1992)
NEW YORK - TC/1               : USA - NY     1797  chime
   Trinity Parish Church (Episcopal) 
     (sometimes called Holy Trinity) 
   unringable since at least 1939, and probably
   since installation in present building in 1845;
   see also TC/2, below
19th century - 9 installations (5 currently ringable)
Baltimore                     : USA - MD     1805
   Christ Church (Episcopal)
   (defunct)
QUÉBEC - HT                   : CANADA - QU  1830
   La Cathedrale Episcopale de la Sainte-Trinité 
PHILADELPHIA - STP            : USA - PA     1843  chime
   St.Peter's Episcopal Church
   ringing ceased about 1848;
   played solely by Ellacombe stand since then
BUFFALO - STP                 : USA - NY     1856  chime
   St.Paul's Episcopal Cathedral
   (originally St.Paul's Episcopal Church)
   (defunct; replaced by chime)
NEW WESTMINSTER               : CANADA - BC  1861
   Holy Trinity Cathedral
   (defunct)
BURLINGTON                    : USA - NJ     1865
   St.Mary's Episcopal Church
   (was unringable c.1890-1994)
PHILADELPHIA - STMKL          : USA - PA     1878  *
   St.Mark's Episcopal Church 
   * first 4 bells installed 1876;
   was unringable 1878-1999
QUÉBEC - B                    : CANADA - QU  1885
   The St.Matthew's Bell Tower
   (was part of St.Matthew's Church)
EXETER                        : CANADA - ON  1890/2015
   Trivitt Memorial Church (Anglican) 
   [chime with 6 bells hung to swing full-circle;
   rehung on standard fittings in 2015]
19th & 20th century - 2 special cases

Two sets of 10 swinging bells were supplied to French Canada by the Whitechapel bellfoundry of England, as follows:

MONTRÉAL - ND                 : CANADA - QU  1843  chime
   Notre-Dame Basilica
MONTRÉAL - STPA               : CANADA - QU  1908+ chime
   St.Patrick's Basilica
These have long been included in lists maintained by change ringers, with a description of "unringable", thus implying that they were once ringable, i.e., both hung and used for change-ringing.  However, there seems to be no evidence that such was actually the case.  In view of the French Canadian propensity for swinging large numbers of bells (see for example the many large "swinging chimes" in Québecois churches), it seems more likely that Whitechapel simply supplied these bells with standard English fittings but that the French Canadians neither hung nor used them in the English manner.  Therefore they are not included in the total count stated on this page

20th century - 33 installations (33 currently ringable)

BOSTON - CA                   : USA - MA     1901 *
   Church of the Advent (Episcopal)
   * cast 1900, hung 1901, rehung 1914, rehung 1976
GROTON                        : USA - MA     1901 *
   St.John's Chapel 
   Groton School
   * enlarged from 8 to 10 in 1961
VANCOUVER - HR                : CANADA - BC  1906 *
   Holy Rosary Cathedral 
   * first 3 bells installed in 1900
WATERTOWN - PIB               : USA - MA     1912
   Perkins Institute for the Blind 
HINGHAM                       : USA - MA     1912
   Hingham Memorial Bell Tower
KENT                          : USA - CT     1931
   St.Joseph's Chapel 
   Kent School 
VICTORIA - CCC                : CANADA - BC  1935 *
   Christ Church Cathedral 
   * enlarged from 8 to 10 in 1983
MISSION CITY                  : CANADA - BC  1951 *
   Pfitzer Memorial Bell Tower
   Westminster Abbey (St.Joseph's) 
   * cast in 1951 but not installed until 1956
CALGARY - CH                  : CANADA - AB  1957 *
   Christ Church, Elbow Park 
   * cast 1952 & 1956
WASHINGTON - NC/2             : USA - DC     1964
   National Cathedral 
NORTHAMPTON - 2               : USA - MA     1968
   Mendenhall Center for the Performing Arts 
   Smith College 
HOUSTON - STT                 : USA - TX     1971
   St.Thomas Episcopal Church 
The NAGCR was organized in 1972.  Only about 10 of the 22 installations existing at that time were actually ringable.  Most of the rest have since been restored, as indicated above.
BREWSTER                      : USA - NY     1973
   St.Cuthbert's Chapel
   Melrose School (Episcopal)
New Castle                    : USA - DE     1973*
   Immanuel Episcopal Church
   * recast in 1981
WASHINGTON - PO               : USA - DC     1976
   Old Post Office Tower 
   Nancy Hanks Center 
HENDERSONVILLE                : USA - NC     1978
   St.James' Episcopal Church
PHILADELPHIA - STMTF/2        : USA - PA     1980
   Church of St.Martin-in-the-Fields 
ABILENE - CHR                 : USA - TX     1982
   Church of the Heavenly Rest (Episcopal)
   [non-traditional carillon with 6 bells hung
    for change-ringing]
KALAMAZOO - KC                : USA - MI     1983
   Stetson Chapel 
   Kalamazoo College 
MIAMI - T                     : USA - FL     1984
   Trinity Episcopal Cathedral 
TEXARKANA                     : USA - AR     1984
   First Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)
LITTLE ROCK - TEC             : USA - AR     1988
   Trinity Episcopal Cathedral 
HONOLULU - STA                : USA - HI     1991 *
   St.Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral 
   * bells cast in 1812, retuned for installation here
RIVERSIDE                     : USA - IL     1991 *
   St.Paul's Church (Episcopal)
   * bells of various earlier dates
RALEIGH - C                   : USA - NC     1992 *
   Christ Episcopal Church 
   * 3 of the present bells are from the
     ring of 5 installed here in 1987
Princess Anne                 : USA - MD     1993
   St.Andrew's Episcopal Church 
MARIETTA - STJ                : USA - GA     1995
   St.James' Episcopal Church 
SULLIVAN'S ISLAND             : USA - SC     1995
   Stella Maris RC Church 
TORONTO - STJA/2              : CANADA - ON  1996 *
   The Bells of Old York
   St.James Cathedral 
   * 8 bells cast in 1828, augmented in 1996
     for this new installation
CHARLESTON - G                : USA - SC     1999 *
   Grace Episcopal Church 
   * bells cast in 1883, retuned for installation here
ATLANTA - STL                 : USA - GA     2000
   St.Luke's Episcopal Church 
21st century - 16 installations (15 currently ringable)
Carmel - PG                   : USA - IN     2001  mini
   Graupner residence 
CHARLESTON - LP               : USA - SC     2001
   Cathedral Church of St.Luke & St.Paul (Episcopal) 
HOUSTON - STP/2               : USA - TX     2001
   St.Paul's United Methodist Church 
PITTSBURGH - SPC              : USA - PA     2002
   Southminster Presbyterian Church 
Dallas - STJ                  : USA - TX     2003*
   St.James Episcopal Church 
   * first 3 installed in 1995
AUGUSTA - GS                  : USA - GA     2004
   Church of the Good Shepherd (Episcopal)
FREDERICK - C                 : USA - MD     2004
   Calvary United Methodist Church 
SEWANEE - 2                   : USA - TN     2004
   Bentley Bells
   Breslin Tower 
   Convocation Hall 
   The University of the South 
HOUSTON - PM/2                : USA - TX     2005
   Lower belfry 
   Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church 
BIRMINGHAM - STP              : USA - AL     2006
   Family Life Center
   Cathedral of St.Paul (RC)
NEW YORK - TC/2               : USA - NY     2006
   Trinity Parish Church (Episcopal)
   See also TC/1, above.
SEATTLE - UW/2                : USA - WA     2008
   The Gordon Stuart Peek Foundation Memorial Bells
   Gerberding Hall
   University of Washington
ORLEANS                       : USA - MA     2009
   Church of The Transfiguration
   The Community of Jesus (Benedictine)
SHREVEPORT - STM              : USA - LA     2009  chime/ring
   St.Mark's Episcopal Cathedral
     (was St.Mark's Church until 1991)
ALEXANDRIA                    : USA - VA     2014*
   Immanuel Chapel
   Virginia Theological Seminary
   * installed 2014; dedicated in 2015
ROCHESTER - A                 : USA - NY     2015
   Church of the Ascension (Episcopal)
RUTHER GLEN - 1               : USA - VA     2021?
   B. A. Sunderlin Bell Foundry
NASHOTAH                      : USA - WI     2021+?
   Nashotah House Theological Seminary
CHICAGO - MT/2                : USA - IL     2023
   Mitchell Tower 
   University of Chicago 

Chart of completed installations (original size) by decade

Key:
  Singles:   F = four, V = five, S = six, E = eight, T = ten, W = twelve;
  Multiples: number;   lowercase = defunct
 Others:     f         s           e     S               S VS S  S  
 Twelves:                                                     W  W  
 Tens:                                       T   T   T T T    T  T   1
 Octaves:  E E E     E       E E e E E E   3 E   E   E E 3  5 4  9 2  
 Enlarged:                                 -     -     +   -+ +     
           -----------------------------------------------------------
           1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  1 1  2 2 2
century -  7 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9  9 9  0 0 0
decade  -  4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7  8 9  0 1 2
           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0 0  0 0 0
           -----------------------------------------------------------
 Counts:   1 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 3 2 0 2 0 2 2 5  7 7 12 2 1
Notes:
  Octave from 1906 enlarged to 10 in 1961
  Ten from 1908 replaced in 2023
  Octave from 1935 enlarged to 10 in 1983
  Five from 1986 enlarged to 8 in 1992
  Semitone added to New York NY in 2016 is not included in the chart or index.
  Nashotah, Ruther Glen and Carmel are not included in the chart.

For current counts of each size, see the index by size.


Return to Indexes to rings in North America.


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This index page was built from the database on 31-Dec-99 and last revised on 24-Jul-23.

Please send comments or questions about this page to csz_stl@swbell.net.