Eighteen newly-cast bells destined for the top of the Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower are on a ship coming from Belgium, county engineer Wade Weiss told the county supervisors Monday. They’re expected at the Verdin Company in Cincinnati by the end of next week.
The new bells, along with 23 bells that were hauled to Cincinnati last September for hangers and strikers, will be returned to Jefferson in mid-May. They’ll be hung by the same crew that took down the bells in the fall.
According to Weiss, the nine largest bells that were lowered from the top of the tower are ready to go, with new strikers and hangers. Half of the 14 bells that were on display in the courthouse now have strikers and hangers, also.
The new superstructure needed to hang the bells is finished and electrical systems at the top of the tower are being updated.
Weiss will be in Cincinnati for a conference in early April and plans to visit the Verdin factory and see the bells.
Plans for a dedication of the new bells are in the discussion stage.
With the new bells, the Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower will be one of only three complete carillons in Iowa, and the only one with the bells easily visible.
