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 History of the Bell

The Bell was forged, by the E. W. Vanduzen Co. of Cincinnati, OH, at the Buckeye Bell Foundry in 1910. It originally hung in St. Clement’s a Roman Catholic Church in Dunlap, IL. The church was built by German immigrants in 1910. Throughout the years, the church also served Lutheran and Baptist faiths. In 2004 the church was purchased by a family who renamed it the ‘Little Church on the Prairie’. The bell was then purchased by Mr. T. Gray, owner of Grayboy Motor Sports in Peoria, IL.

Brothers, Terry and Jan Throndson purchased the bell from Mr. Gray in October of 2010. The Bell of Honor Committee was formed in December of 2010.

Dedication of The Bell of Honor Soldier’s Field Veteran’s Memorial Rochester, MN 

 May 30, 2011

Bell Factory History 

 The Bell of Honor was manufactured by the Vanduzen Factory in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1910. The factory originated in Nottingham England in 1777 , when Thomas Hedderly began a bell foundry. His son and grandson continued the business in Philadelphia for several years . George Hanks bought the business from Henry Hedderly and in turn George Coffin acquired the business from George Hanks.

 George W Coffin founded the Buckeye Bell Foundry in 1837 in Cincinnati, Ohio. They made the most ornate bells ever made in the United Sates. During the Civil War the foundry produced cannons to support the war effort.

 Van Duzen was apprenticed to G Coffin and by 1865 he and his partner Mr. Tift bought the company from Mr. Coffin. Van Duzen changed is name from two words to one word, Vanduzen . The partners owned the company until 1894 when Vanduzen became sole owner.

To improve the sound of the bell, Vanduzen changed the shape of the bell. Their bells had a unique mounting with a disc used to hold the bell to the yoke. The company had a guarantee on bells weighing more than 120 pounds not to crack for 10 years from the date of the sale.

This company has the distinction of having founded the largest bell ever cast in America and the largest bell mounted in regular swinging church bell hanging in the world. The exact weight of 27,390 pounds, with mounting about 35,000 pounds, hangs in the tower of St. Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church in Cincinnati.

The factory closed its doors in the early 1950’s.

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