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Revere bells


Revere bells were cast out of the bell foundry of Paul Revere starting in 1792 in Boston. Revere became known professionally for his foundries and for being one of the few competent bell makers in the United States at the time.

Paul Revere opened his bell foundry in the Boston's North End and, between the years 1792 and 1828, the foundry cast a total of 398 bells that varied from 500 to 2500 pounds. The vast majority of Revere's bells have pleasant tones, are long lasting, and served as centerpieces of their communities. They were used in schools, on ships and for communication. For example, a church bell tolled during a fire, let the community know of a death or wedding, and signaled the start of mass. An example of the longevity of his bells comes from Henry W. Owen who spoke of the Revere bell at Bath City Hall in 1936:

For more than a century (the bell) was rung daily morning, noon and evening, at stated hours, besides announcing hours of religious services and alarms of fire, tolling for departed citizens, and pealing in honor of independence days and other occasions of joy. On account of its age it has been retired from regular duty, but still on special occasions is sparingly used.

Paul Revere cast his first bell for the Second Church in Boston. As a church member, he offered to take up the challenge of recasting the church's cracked bell himself, despite the fact that he had no previous experience in the craft. For guidance, he turned to one of America's few knowledgeable bell casters: Aaron Hobart, a Massachusetts acquaintance. But even with Hobart's guidance, Revere's first bell had a poor tone quality and contained visible imperfections, "[unlike any other of] the more than one hundred bells his shop produced during the period of his active involvement". A century later, a reverend in the same church, Edward G. Porter, expounded upon it in a chapter of his Rambles in Old Boston titled "A Noted Bell". The reverend appreciated the bell for all the civil functions it had punctuated with its sound, and claimed that it "deserves a place among the famous bells of the world."

Many of Revere's initial failures can be attributed to the lack of standardization in bell founding at the time. Correspondences and records from Revere show that he probably used existing bells as models for his own, as he had no scientific understanding of how to optimize their shape. However, after experimentation and working with masters in the craft, Revere eventually produced bells praised for their pleasant sound.Joseph Warren Revere claimed that "we know we can cast as good bells as can be cast in the world, both for goodness and for sound."


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