Bell Manufacturers in North America
Not all of the following foundries or companies cast bells or may be operating today:
McShane Bell Company, Maryland Heights, Missouri
Since the conception of the company in 1856, McShane Bell Foundry has been producing America’s finest church bells, ring peal, chimes and carillons the world has ever heard. Among our more famous handiwork are the 7,000-pound bell that graces Baltimore’s City Hall, the bells at Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor Memorial chapel and Liberty Bell replicas in Portland, Oregon and Wilmington, Delaware. Over 300,000 McShane church bells ring out from the towers of cathedrals, churches, municipal buildings, universities and schools everyday, all over the world.
The Verdin Company, Cincinnati, Ohio
Since 1842, the Verdin Company has manufactured bronze bells, towers and clocks. They are now in their sixth generation of family ownership. One of their most notable installations are bronze bells for the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC. The shrine is the largest Christian church in the United States and in North America.
Christoph Paccard Bell Foundry, Charleston, South Carolina
This bell foundry is the official United States sales representative for Paccard Fonderie des Cloches based in Sévrier, France. This foundry is known for the World Peace Bell in Newport, Kentucky, one of over twenty Peace Bells throughout the world. It is inscribed with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and was swung along with its sister bells to mark the beginning of the millennium on January 1, 2020.
B.A. Sunderlin Bells, Ruther Glen, VA
Sunderlin Bells is relatively new to the church bell arena. Established in 2015, Sundelin uses a process known as the swept-loam method, which provides unique surface detail and allows the metal to cool more slowly. In 2017, the Sunderlin foundry reconstructed a 17th-century bell in honor of the 400-year anniversary of the founding of Jamestown.
Meeks, Watson and Company, Georgetown, Ohio
Former Verdin employee, Rick Watson left the company in 1991 with Bill Meeks to start the enterprise of Meeks, Watson and Company. In addition to church bells, they specialize in tuning of old American-made bells, especially those which make up chimes. One of their first castings in 1992 was for the Rainbow Tower and Rainbow Bridge at Niagra Falls in Ontario, Canada.
Meneely Bell Foundry, Wateryliet, New York
The Meneely foundry was established in 1826 and once operated two large bell foundries on both sides of the Hudson River in New York. It remained a completely family owned and operated business until last bell from the foundry was shipped to St. Martin’s College, Olympia, WA, in April 1951. During its existence, the Meneely Bell Foundry produce over 65,000 bells.
