*Location:

   Ingersoll Tower
   Episcopal Church of the Messiah
   DeKalb Pike (U.S.Hwy. 202)
     at Plymouth Road
   Gwynedd, Pennsylvania, USA
   LL: N 40.19961, W 75.25674

Site locator map

*Player:

   Church members

*Contact:

   Church of the Messiah
   *parcel:
     1001 Dekalb Pike
     Lower Gwynedd, PA  19002
   *postal:
     PO Box 127
     Gwynedd, PA  19436-0127
   T: (215)699-9204   F: (215)699-2031
   E: office@messiahgwynedd.org

*Schedule:

   (unknown)

*Remarks:

   Original chimestand, never used, has
   oversized batons instead of pump-
   handles, and was re-spaced to
   accommodate the added bells.  Added
   semitones are sharp 4th and flat 7th.

*Technical data:

   Traditional chime (chimestand) of 14 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell is G  in the middle octave
   Transposition is unknown
   Keyboard range:     ----  /    ----  
   There are two added semitones
   The presence or absence of a practice console is unknown
   The instrument was enlarged in 1981
     with bells made by Petit & Fritsen
   Prior history:
     In 1929, the instrument was begun with 11 bells
       by Meneely/Wvlt
   Auxiliary mechanisms: nI    
   Tower details not available
   Year of latest technical information source is 1992

On the church Website, a Chimers page (under Music) describes the bells and their history.  Two added semitones are original.

An architectural project page for the enlargement of the building has two exterior photos which show the tower, plus two elevation renderings. The building was constructed in 1871; the bell tower was added in 1926 as a memorial.

A photo of the church, courtesy of Marietta Douglas.

Where the initial phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Meneely (Watervliet) 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 PA.

   This page was built from the database on  4-Nov-23
   based on textual data last updated on 2010/09/20
   and on technical data last updated on 2004/01/05