Installation process begins in Union’s bell tower

JACKSON, Tenn. — The toll has been electronic since its construction in 2000, but soon real bells will chime from the inside of Miller Tower on Union University’s campus.

“Electronics are pretty well-made today, but it’s hard to duplicate the sound of a thousand-pound bell ringing, reverberating with a speaker system,” said Stan Christoph with Christoph Paccard Bell Foundry. The foundry is handling the installation process.

The 49 bells are shipped from France, the heaviest being 1,500 pounds. Since 1796, seven generations of bells have been cast from the Paccard Bell Foundry in Annecy, France. Christoph said the bells being installed in the tower will also last for generations.

“It’s really not for me to hear what it sounds like. That’s very important, but really it’s to see the smiles on the faces, and that’s very nice,” Christoph said.

The university says “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” will be the first song they hope to hear. It’s the university’s official hymn.

The installation process is expected to take about a week.