Carillon

The carillon at St. Paul’s was installed in 1929 in the 165-foot tower given “to the Glory of the Triune God” by Laura Price Briggs in memory of her brother, William Albert Price. Although Mrs. Briggs herself did not give the bells for the carillon, her gift must have had the intention of supporting a carillon, otherwise it would not have been constructed with so large a bell chamber.

The carillon was planned to span 23 bells, but the Great Depression interrupted its completion, so only eight bells were installed. It wasn’t until 1953 that the instrument was completed to its original design, plus two. It remained a 25-bell carillon until late this spring when it was enlarged to standard concert carillon size of 47 bells. A single financial gift facilitated this expansion. St. Paul’s is very grateful for this gift from William and Laurie Buss that allows our carillon to sing along with only five other concert carillons in the state of Ohio. We are also fortunate and grateful to our own carillonneur since 1990, David Osburn, Jr., for so faithfully climbing the long wooden stairs to the playing chamber each and every Sunday morning regardless of weather or conditions to bring the joyful music of our bells to life.

The original eight bells were fabricated by Gillett & Johnston of Croydon, England, and weighed nearly 8,000 pounds. The donor of the first bells was Charles J. Seabrook. Inscribed on the largest bell is the following inscription:

THE TOWER CHIMES
DEDICATED TO THE
GLORY OF GOD
AND IN LOVING MEMORY OF
MY FATHER AND MOTHER
HARRY A. AND MARIAH H. SEABROOK
WERE PRESENTED
BY THEIR SON
CHARLES J. SEABROOK
A.D. 1929

There were several donors of the bells from 1953. The first was major donor Marguerite L. Thomas, who dedicated these bells “In memory of John Thomas, Margaret H. Thomas and Gertrude F. Thomas.” Next came Mr. and Mrs. Harry W. Hosford in memory of Dorothy Ann Hosford, and finally there was Charles M. French who gave in memory of Frederick Charles and Belle Melvin French.

By the time that the carillon was “finished” in 1953/1954, Gillett & Johnston had shuttered their operation, and new bells had to be cast at vanBergen Bell Company, an 18th-century Dutch bell foundry that began in 1795 in the Netherlands. The current completion of 22 bells were made by the B.A. Sunderlin Foundry, the only traditional bell foundry in the United States. Thanks to the vision and generosity of so many individuals over the last century, St. Paul’s now can join the ranks of other concert carillons in the United States and abroad.