Historic church bell tower restored in Leechburg, set to ring again on Easter Sunday

Church bells will ring out over Leechburg again this Easter.

After more than a year and $30,000 in fundraising, the bells of First Evangelical Lutheran Church are fixed and set to ring again for the first time to welcome worshipers to Easter Sunday services.

In addition, the church is planning a public bell dedication service at 4 p.m. Saturday, May 5.

After ringing daily for more than 112 years, the bells went silent in October 2022 after the control box went on the fritz after an apparent lighting strike hit the church.

Church members launched an online and mail-in fundraiser last year in hopes of raising the money to restore the bell carillon that was shipped from Holland and installed in 1910.

Lifelong church member Christine Fuller, 85, recalled the evolution of more bells being added to the carillon.

“I bought one of the smaller bells and dedicated it to my late mother’s name, Lena Kepple Shaner. It’s wonderful that they will be ringing again. It means so much to me to know there’s a bell up there with her name on it,” Fuller said.

As an adult, Fuller once climbed the ladder to visit the bell tower and see her mother’s dedicated bell.

“I’d like to do it again, but I don’t think I will,” said Fuller, of Allegheny Township.

Fuller plans to attend Easter services — she never misses church — and sit in her usual side pew seat with friends.

She’s happy the fundraiser was successful.

“Easter will really be a special day for all of Leechburg and the whole community when the bells ring,” Fuller said.

Twice-daily ringing of the bells, at noon and 6 p.m., began during the 1940s when technology made programming possible.

The bells were restored Monday and Tuesday by two workers from Verdin Co., based in Cincinnati. The crew completed testing the bells Tuesday, the Rev. James Arter said.

“When we had them ringing that day, the first time, everybody was talking about it. They were just pounding on them to test them out and see how things were working,” Arter said. “Most people are thrilled. But a few weren’t real happy Tuesday because it was so loud as they were testing. But (most) people are thrilled.”

When originally installed, the bells were rung by a lever-and-­pulley system that required 60 pounds of lift to operate.

A 1910 Carillon Souvenir Booklet provided by Arter notes the total weight of the original 10 bells was more than 8,200 pounds.

The bells are in E concert pitch. The booklet describes the range and number of tunes that can be played on the set of bells as “practically unlimited.”

The bells began chiming 30 minutes before Sunday afternoon and evening services on Oct. 29, 1910, with the largest bell tolling for three minutes.

Chimes played for the congregation to celebrate the installation included “Chime on, Sweet Bells,” “Ring the Bells of Heaven,” “Bluebells of Scotland” and “There’s Music in the Air.”

The carillon went electric in 1946. The bells were rung via a keyboard console near the organ in the sanctuary.

A Leechburg native, Mayor Doreen Smeal said the ringing of the bells is among her earliest memories.

Smeal recalled sitting on her grandfather’s front porch to eat ice cream and listen to the bells.

“I get goosebumps just thinking about those bells ringing again,” Smeal said. “When I heard them practicing (Tuesday), I was sitting in my kitchen and I jumped up, ran out to the front porch and said ‘The bells are ringing!’ I’m anxiously awaiting Easter morning.”

The total cost of the project was a little more than $30,000.

“I’m still so amazed that we raised that amount in less than a year since we first thought about giving this a try,” Arter said. “We had money donated from all over the country — people that aren’t even affiliated with the church donated. It’s been an incredible experience for us.”

The Carillon Restoration Project kicked off last April.

Donations included two $5,000 donations.

“It made us feel thankful for our community and to know that our church and the bells mean that much to people,” Arter said.

The fundraiser garnered attention from all over the U.S. Arter expressed gratitude for local media coverage and social media spreading the word.

The original carillon contained 10 bells that were manufactured by Meneely and Co. of Watervliet, NY.

According to church records, the original bells cost about $6,000; they were appraised at $100,000 in 1986 when additional bells were added.

When the original bells were 75 years in operation, it was discovered some were losing their sound and there were delays in the striking of the clappers.

Replacement parts were unavailable.

Donations totaling more than $103,000 were used to regain the bell sound. And 11 new bronze bells, cast in Holland by Petit & Fritsen, were dedicated on June 1, 1986, during the morning worship service.

The Verdin Co. refurbished several old bells and installed a new clapper system that same year.

Every bell bears a memorial inscription, and the original 10 were rededicated in late 1946 to honor congregation members who died during World War II.

Additional bells were added over time to create the current 28-bell carillon, one of the largest in Western Pennsylvania.

Arter checked on the bell tower Thursday using today’s technology — he controlled the bells from an app on his phone.

A state-of-the-art digital controller in the church sanctuary makes programming a breeze, he said.

The controller was the project’s most expensive component. It replaces a controller that was installed in 1999.

The bells can play songs for all occasions such as weddings, funerals and holidays.

Amanda Graham, 33, of Harrison, is a lifelong church member. She was baptized and married there.

She recalls that when she was going through confirmation, the minister took the class up into the bell tower.

She was in awe of the grand scale of the bells, particularly the largest one that weighs more than 3,500 pounds.

The return of the bells has Graham ecstatic.

“Alleluia, it will be a blessed Alleluia and Easter,” she said. “It definitely hasn’t felt right since they’ve gone silent. A piece is missing and will be back soon. I can’t wait.”

Sandy Smythe of Leechburg considers the bells a part of her faith.

“Through all the rough times in my life, my faith is what has carried me through,” Smythe said. “The bells are a call to worship and an audible reminder of my faith when I have needed it most.”

Smythe is a leader of the GriefShare church group. She said participants always noticed the bells when they rang out.

“They say hearing the bells brings them much peace. I can’t wait to hear them again,” Smythe said.

Lighting rods ground the bell tower, but the chance of a power surge is a concern, Arter said.

The fundraiser will remain active to finance annual bell tower maintenance which is expected to cost about $1,000.

Arter expressed his gratitude to all that helped to bring the sound of the bells back.

“Somebody called our bells the heartbeat of Leechburg,” Arter said. “And I believe that.”