| About Knox Academic Admission Alumni News - Sports Services Search |
|
| ||||
Thursday, December 20, 2001
Contact: Peter Bailley
news@knox.edu
309-341-7715
Some sharp-eyed students are credited with pointing out the need for repairs to the bell tower atop Knox College's historic Old Main.
"We have to thank Frank Elliott, Dan Chibnall and Mike Stowers for being so observant," said Roger Taylor, Knox College Interim President. "Last fall they noticed that a board on the tower had deteriorated, and Frank told me about it."
The tower and bell on Knox College's Old Main were removed Thursday, Dec. 20. For the tower, it is the first major renovation since repairs of major storm damage in 1969 and lesser damage in 1974. The 100-year-old bell will be refurbished so that it can again signal class periods. A tape recorded bell has been used for the past 13 years.
College officials estimate repairs to the tower and bell will be completed by February 2002. Built in 1856, Old Main is the only structure remaining from the historic 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.
Various steps in the removal process are shown below. 300 dpi photos may be downloaded by clicking on the images.
| View from Lombard Bell | Tower is placed on a trailer | Detail of tower, showing example of areas to be repaired | Tower and bell removed; pillars remain | Bell carried on trailer |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
It's not clear why the College stopped using the bell in 1988. "We have examined the structure of Old Main, and we can't find anything that would prevent us from using the bell," said Scott Maust, director of facilities services. The existing design rotates the bell using a pulley and motor. If the rotating mechanism can not be repaired, Maust said the bell will remain stationary and a movable clapper will be installed.
The tower was lifted with a multi-cable sling to stabilize the movement, rather than a single cable through the middle, as pictured in the 1969 repair project (below).
| Download File Photos: Old Main Bell, left; Tower, right. | |
 |
 |
When Old Main was built in 1856, it was reported that the tower was 31 feet tall and 14 feet in diameter, and made of native white pine. The existing tower is said to be somewhat shorter, following the 1969 repairs, which included replacing the wooden posts with steel posts. (Old Main, right, file photo download)
The work on the tower will be the first major reconstruction since 1969, when the tower was demolished by a piece of metal roofing blown off of Old Main during a storm. It was repaired again following another storm in 1974.
The current bell dates to 1902, when it was cast from metal that included two of its predecessors. Two previous bells — in 1896 and again in 1901 — had been turned upside down, filled with water and allowed to freeze, causing irreparable cracks. In 1901, the senior class commissioned a new bell, inscribed with the motto "Not to live, but to live well."
Shortly after the new bell arrived on campus in 1902, it disappeared, allegedly stolen by members of the junior class. A re-dedication ceremony was held, with the bell in absentia. The bell was recovered about a week after the rededication ceremony; it had been buried in a cellar in an old farm house east of Galesburg.
1969 file photos: Below, an aerial view of Old Main, following storm damage in September. Right, replacement of the tower in December 1969.
|
|
-end-
