*Location:

   Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower
   University of North Carolina
   South Road at Stadium Drive
   Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
   LL: N 35.90865, W 79.04925

Site locator map

*Player:

   Madi Marks

   1931-43 ?
   1943-45 Charles E. Stevens '45
   1945-67 ?

*Contact:

   Jeff Fuchs, Director of Athletic Bands
   212 Hill Hall
   Campus Box 3320
   University of North Carolina
   Chapel Hill, NC  27599-3320
   T: 919-962-5695
   E: jfuchs@email.unc.edu

*Schedule:

   Autoplay daily at 0801,1202,1801,2101;
   manual play on game days.

*Remarks:

   Tower named for donors John Motley
   Morehead III and Rufus L. Patterson II.
   Added semitones: sharp 4th & flat 7th.
   Chimestand removed, presumably on
   first electrification in 1967 (which
   was electric keyboard + roll player);
   locally-built practice chimestand
   remains in the tower.
   New MIDI keyboard initially prepared
   music only for automatic play.
   New bells may be dated 1997, but were
   installed in 1998.
   Before the expansion, this chime was
   often claimed to duplicate that at
   West Point, NY; actually, the same
   foundry made seven chimes of this
   size and weight--all survive. 

*Technical data:

   Electric-keyboard chime of 14 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell is D  in the middle octave
   Keyboard range:     C G   /    NONE  
   Transposition is up  2 semitone(s), i.e., from C to D 
   There are two added semitones
   The instrument was enlarged in 1998
     with  2 bells made by Petit & Fritsen
   Prior history:
     In 1931, the instrument was begun with 12 bells
       by Meneely/Troy    
       Keyboard range was:     C E   /    NONE  
   Auxiliary mechanisms: EQH   
   Tower details not available
   Year of latest technical information source is 2002

The UNC Website includes a campus tour page with the history of the tower and some photos.
A more extended history can be found in the middle of a page on campus landmarks.
A history page tells about the donors of the tower.
The campus map is a PDF download (78KB), and is readable if you enlarge it to 200% or more; the bell tower is just north of the stadium, which is in the center of the map.
A UNC-CH facilities database will provide additional information when the Facility Name pull-down menu is set to "Bell Tower".  A different photo of the tower is available there by clicking Photo after the General information about the tower is displayed.

News article (29 Jan 2025) about the bell ringers, with two photos that include part of the old practice chimestand.  The tower is open on home football Saturdays for the community to climb, starting three hours before kickoff and ending one hour before the game.  But the bells are not accessible or visible from inside.

Photos by Travis R. Kephart © 2002; used by permission:

• bells showing old pusher solenoids on turned original clappers, and new external solenoids and hammers.
• bells showing two added trebles with external mechanism.
• practice chimestand, (locally constructed); note ends of xylophone bars below keys to provide sound.
• electric keyboard and roll player from 1967 (disconnected).

From elsewhere on the Web:

• A state tour page gives a different perspective on the history of the tower.
• A photographer's page has the best picture of the tower.
• Another picture by a visitor.

A short YouTube video (1:13) of part of the interior of the tower starts with a view over the back of the old practice chimestand.  It continues up two levels of spiral iron stairs, but does not reach the bell deck.

Where the initial phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Meneely (Troy) bellfoundry.
Where the final phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Petit & Fritsen bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.

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 NC.

   This page was built from the database on 15-May-25
   based on textual data last updated on 2025/05/11
   and on technical data last updated on 2025/02/25