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Measuring {{convert|7|ft}} tall and with a diameter of {{convert|9|ft}}, the 17.5 ton bell is the largest swinging bell ever cast in the United States.<ref>http://thecatholicbeat.sacredheartradio.com/2012/03/20/treasures-st-francis-de-sales-bells/</ref> It was cast on October 30, 1895 by the E. W. Van Duzen Company at their foundry on Second Street and Broadway.<ref>http://saintfrancisdesalesparish.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/SFDS_History1.pdf</ref><ref>''Logansport Journal'' (Indiana), November 20, 1895, page 7</ref> The massive bell was hauled by 12 horses up Gilbert Avenue, then down Madison Road to St. Frances de Sales in what is now East Walnut Hills.<ref>http://saintfrancisdesalesparish.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/SFDS_History1.pdf</ref>
Measuring {{convert|7|ft}} tall and with a diameter of {{convert|9|ft}}, the 17.5 ton bell is the largest swinging bell ever cast in the United States.<ref>http://thecatholicbeat.sacredheartradio.com/2012/03/20/treasures-st-francis-de-sales-bells/</ref> It was cast on October 30, 1895 by the E. W. Van Duzen Company at their foundry on Second Street and Broadway.<ref>http://saintfrancisdesalesparish.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/SFDS_History1.pdf</ref><ref>''Logansport Journal'' (Indiana), November 20, 1895, page 7</ref> The massive bell was hauled by 12 horses up Gilbert Avenue, then down Madison Road to St. Frances de Sales in what is now East Walnut Hills.<ref>http://saintfrancisdesalesparish.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/SFDS_History1.pdf</ref>


When first swung in January 1896, its tremendous peal startled the [[Walnut Hills, Cincinnati|Walnut Hills]] neighborhood and could be heard for {{convert|15|mi}}.<ref>http://thecatholicbeat.sacredheartradio.com/2012/03/20/treasures-st-francis-de-sales-bells/</ref> The resultant E{{music|flat}} produced vibrations that were said to have shook the houses and buildings below and have shattered nearby windows.<ref>http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/planning/linkservid/54E4387F-09E9-F09C-596DE968C1F11E03/showMeta/0/</ref> Following the bell's inaugural ring, the parish priests decreed the bell shall "remain immobile forever".<ref>http://books.google.com/books?id=GesCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA38&lpg=PA38&dq=%22Big+Joe%22+AND+cincinnati+AND+bell&source=bl&ots=5eULAU8Nrd&sig=-3TRFzhOgKKEyMDIsUwyRdZGVtE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=cOhLUZerB9Lj4APszYGABQ&ved=0CEoQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=%22Big%20Joe%22%20AND%20cincinnati%20AND%20bell&f=false</ref> The {{convert|640|lb|kg|adj=on}} clapper was never used again; today the bell is rung only with an oversized foot hammer tapping its rim.<ref name="ReadersDigest">{{cite book |editor1-first=Jim |editor1-last=Dwyer |others= |title=Strange Stories, Amazing Facts of America's Past |year=1989 |publisher=[[The Reader's Digest Association]] |location=[[Pleasantville, New York]]/[[Montreal]] |isbn=0-89577-307-4 |page=12 |chapter=Once Was More Than Enough}}</ref><ref>http://thecatholicbeat.sacredheartradio.com/2012/03/20/treasures-st-francis-de-sales-bells/</ref> However, a modern-day bell expert at Cincinnati-based [[The Verdin Company]], foundry of the nearby and even larger [[World Peace Bell]] (which was cast in France), dismisses damage to window glass inflicted by Big Joe as a local legend with no historical basis. According to them, Big Joe was never swung again because of trembling in the bell tower and crumbing of mortar; the bell was simply big for its tower.<ref>http://enquirer.com/columns/pulfer/1999/04/13/lp_will_newport_bell.html</ref><ref>http://books.google.com/books?id=GesCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA38&lpg=PA38&dq=%22Big+Joe%22+AND+cincinnati+AND+bell+-duskin&source=bl&ots=5eULAW0Srd&sig=AY3UXzViettWpmzTu1-DdbARuP4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=RBlMUaKFEsfI4APCnIC4Ag&ved=0CEcQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=%22Big%20Joe%22%20AND%20cincinnati%20AND%20bell%20-duskin&f=false</ref>
When first swung in January 1896, its deafening peal startled the [[Walnut Hills, Cincinnati|Walnut Hills]] neighborhood and could be heard for {{convert|15|mi}}.<ref>http://thecatholicbeat.sacredheartradio.com/2012/03/20/treasures-st-francis-de-sales-bells/</ref> The resultant E{{music|flat}} produced vibrations that were said to have shook the houses and buildings below and have shattered nearby windows.<ref>http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/planning/linkservid/54E4387F-09E9-F09C-596DE968C1F11E03/showMeta/0/</ref> Following the bell's inaugural ring, the parish priests decreed the bell shall "remain immobile forever".<ref>http://books.google.com/books?id=GesCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA38&lpg=PA38&dq=%22Big+Joe%22+AND+cincinnati+AND+bell&source=bl&ots=5eULAU8Nrd&sig=-3TRFzhOgKKEyMDIsUwyRdZGVtE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=cOhLUZerB9Lj4APszYGABQ&ved=0CEoQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=%22Big%20Joe%22%20AND%20cincinnati%20AND%20bell&f=false</ref> The {{convert|640|lb|kg|adj=on}} clapper was never used again; today the bell is rung only with an oversized foot hammer tapping its rim.<ref name="ReadersDigest">{{cite book |editor1-first=Jim |editor1-last=Dwyer |others= |title=Strange Stories, Amazing Facts of America's Past |year=1989 |publisher=[[The Reader's Digest Association]] |location=[[Pleasantville, New York]]/[[Montreal]] |isbn=0-89577-307-4 |page=12 |chapter=Once Was More Than Enough}}</ref><ref>http://thecatholicbeat.sacredheartradio.com/2012/03/20/treasures-st-francis-de-sales-bells/</ref> However, a modern-day bell expert at Cincinnati-based [[The Verdin Company]], foundry of the nearby and even larger [[World Peace Bell]] (which was cast in France), dismisses damage to window glass inflicted by Big Joe as a local legend with no historical basis. According to them, Big Joe was never swung again because of trembling in the bell tower and crumbing of mortar; the bell was simply big for its tower.<ref>http://enquirer.com/columns/pulfer/1999/04/13/lp_will_newport_bell.html</ref><ref>http://books.google.com/books?id=GesCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA38&lpg=PA38&dq=%22Big+Joe%22+AND+cincinnati+AND+bell+-duskin&source=bl&ots=5eULAW0Srd&sig=AY3UXzViettWpmzTu1-DdbARuP4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=RBlMUaKFEsfI4APCnIC4Ag&ved=0CEcQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=%22Big%20Joe%22%20AND%20cincinnati%20AND%20bell%20-duskin&f=false</ref>


Big Joe is struck thrice daily at 6 am, 12 noon and 6 pm for [[Angelus]], followed by the chiming of four smaller bells, known as the "ladies in waiting", resting above it.<ref>http://saintfrancisdesalesparish.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/SFDS_History1.pdf</ref><ref>http://thecatholicbeat.sacredheartradio.com/2012/03/20/treasures-st-francis-de-sales-bells/</ref>
Big Joe is struck thrice daily at 6 am, 12 noon and 6 pm for [[Angelus]], followed by the chiming of four smaller bells, known as the "ladies in waiting", resting above it.<ref>http://saintfrancisdesalesparish.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/SFDS_History1.pdf</ref><ref>http://thecatholicbeat.sacredheartradio.com/2012/03/20/treasures-st-francis-de-sales-bells/</ref>

Revision as of 09:26, 22 March 2013

Specifications
Weight: 37,000 lb (16,818 kg)
Diameter: 9 feet (2.7 m)
Material: Bronze
Yoke: unknown pounds (unknown kg)
Clapper: 640 pounds[1]
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Casting Date: 1895
Musical note: E♭
Raising of Big Joe, 1895

Joseph (commonly known as Big Joe) is a bronze bell that hangs 125 feet (38 m) into the bell tower of Neo-Gothic Saint Francis De Sales Catholic Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States.[2][3] The endearing moniker Big Joe is a combination of the names of Joseph T. Buddeke, the largest donor of the project, and Big Ben, the great bell in the iconic Palace of Westminster clock tower in London.[4][5] The bell and its church are part of the wider St. Francis De Sales Church Historic District.

Measuring 7 feet (2.1 m) tall and with a diameter of 9 feet (2.7 m), the 17.5 ton bell is the largest swinging bell ever cast in the United States.[6] It was cast on October 30, 1895 by the E. W. Van Duzen Company at their foundry on Second Street and Broadway.[7][8] The massive bell was hauled by 12 horses up Gilbert Avenue, then down Madison Road to St. Frances de Sales in what is now East Walnut Hills.[9]

When first swung in January 1896, its deafening peal startled the Walnut Hills neighborhood and could be heard for 15 miles (24 km).[10] The resultant E♭ produced vibrations that were said to have shook the houses and buildings below and have shattered nearby windows.[11] Following the bell's inaugural ring, the parish priests decreed the bell shall "remain immobile forever".[12] The 640-pound (290 kg) clapper was never used again; today the bell is rung only with an oversized foot hammer tapping its rim.[13][14] However, a modern-day bell expert at Cincinnati-based The Verdin Company, foundry of the nearby and even larger World Peace Bell (which was cast in France), dismisses damage to window glass inflicted by Big Joe as a local legend with no historical basis. According to them, Big Joe was never swung again because of trembling in the bell tower and crumbing of mortar; the bell was simply big for its tower.[15][16]

Big Joe is struck thrice daily at 6 am, 12 noon and 6 pm for Angelus, followed by the chiming of four smaller bells, known as the "ladies in waiting", resting above it.[17][18]

See also

References

  1. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=GesCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA38&lpg=PA38&dq=%22Big+Joe%22+AND+cincinnati+AND+bell+-duskin&source=bl&ots=5eULAW0Srd&sig=AY3UXzViettWpmzTu1-DdbARuP4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=RBlMUaKFEsfI4APCnIC4Ag&ved=0CEcQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=%22Big%20Joe%22%20AND%20cincinnati%20AND%20bell%20-duskin&f=false
  2. ^ http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/planning/linkservid/54E4387F-09E9-F09C-596DE968C1F11E03/showMeta/0/
  3. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=GesCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA38&lpg=PA38&dq=%22Big+Joe%22+AND+cincinnati+AND+bell&source=bl&ots=5eULAU8Nrd&sig=-3TRFzhOgKKEyMDIsUwyRdZGVtE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=cOhLUZerB9Lj4APszYGABQ&ved=0CEoQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=%22Big%20Joe%22%20AND%20cincinnati%20AND%20bell&f=false
  4. ^ http://thecatholicbeat.sacredheartradio.com/2012/03/20/treasures-st-francis-de-sales-bells/
  5. ^ http://saintfrancisdesalesparish.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/SFDS_History1.pdf
  6. ^ http://thecatholicbeat.sacredheartradio.com/2012/03/20/treasures-st-francis-de-sales-bells/
  7. ^ http://saintfrancisdesalesparish.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/SFDS_History1.pdf
  8. ^ Logansport Journal (Indiana), November 20, 1895, page 7
  9. ^ http://saintfrancisdesalesparish.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/SFDS_History1.pdf
  10. ^ http://thecatholicbeat.sacredheartradio.com/2012/03/20/treasures-st-francis-de-sales-bells/
  11. ^ http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/planning/linkservid/54E4387F-09E9-F09C-596DE968C1F11E03/showMeta/0/
  12. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=GesCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA38&lpg=PA38&dq=%22Big+Joe%22+AND+cincinnati+AND+bell&source=bl&ots=5eULAU8Nrd&sig=-3TRFzhOgKKEyMDIsUwyRdZGVtE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=cOhLUZerB9Lj4APszYGABQ&ved=0CEoQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=%22Big%20Joe%22%20AND%20cincinnati%20AND%20bell&f=false
  13. ^ Dwyer, Jim, ed. (1989). "Once Was More Than Enough". Strange Stories, Amazing Facts of America's Past. Pleasantville, New York/Montreal: The Reader's Digest Association. p. 12. ISBN 0-89577-307-4.
  14. ^ http://thecatholicbeat.sacredheartradio.com/2012/03/20/treasures-st-francis-de-sales-bells/
  15. ^ http://enquirer.com/columns/pulfer/1999/04/13/lp_will_newport_bell.html
  16. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=GesCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA38&lpg=PA38&dq=%22Big+Joe%22+AND+cincinnati+AND+bell+-duskin&source=bl&ots=5eULAW0Srd&sig=AY3UXzViettWpmzTu1-DdbARuP4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=RBlMUaKFEsfI4APCnIC4Ag&ved=0CEcQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=%22Big%20Joe%22%20AND%20cincinnati%20AND%20bell%20-duskin&f=false
  17. ^ http://saintfrancisdesalesparish.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/SFDS_History1.pdf
  18. ^ http://thecatholicbeat.sacredheartradio.com/2012/03/20/treasures-st-francis-de-sales-bells/

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