Anyone who lives in or visits Chappaqua is familiar with the sound of our church bells which ring out the Westminster Chimes every quarter hour.

 

The carillon of 10 bells was given to St. Mary’s in 1924 by Emery H. Smith, in memory of his father, Alfred Holland Smith, President of the New York Central Railroad and a friend of the Clendenins. They play a full octave in F, plus additional notes to allow for a minor key. Made by the Meneely Bell Company of Troy, NY, they are cast bronze and weigh a total of 6,622 pounds. The bells hang on a wooden frame (replaced in 1958 by the Kehn Bell Company) and can be programmed to play automatically, as with the quarter-hour chimes, or played on the organ console inside the church sanctuary.

 

As part of St. Mary’s Capital Campaign, in 2008 the bells were taken down for maintenance by Chime Master Systems of Lancaster, Ohio. Bells were refurbished, tuned, repositioned, and provided with a new frame. They were also furnished with a new automatic electric play system. 

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Click here to hear a sampling of our bells.