The center of Harvard Yard will once again be filled with the sonorous clang of a large bell, after a new one was installed yesterday in Memorial Church’s belfry. In June 2011—two months after the bell company Chime Master Systems installed a new clapper—Memorial Church officials noticed that the previous bell “was making a funny sound,” and soon realized that it had cracked. After determining that the new clapper had caused the crack, the University sued the installers. The original 5,000-pound bell—donated in 1932 by University president emeritus A. Lawrence Lowell, class of 1877—was deemed no longer usable, and was replaced by an electronic speaker that rang out over Harvard Yard at 8:40 a.m., every hour on the hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and during Commencement; after this year’s ceremony, the speaker was removed. The John Taylor Bell Foundry in the United Kingdom, the same company that cast the original bell in 1926, also produced the new bell.
Harvard’s Memorial Church gets new bell
Harvard’s Memorial Church gets new bell
After a two-foot crack appeared in 2011, the old bell is finally replaced.
You might also like
Ronny Chieng is Harvard’s Class Day Speaker
The comedian, actor, and The Daily Show correspondent will address the 2026 College graduating class on May 27.
Harvard Data Trained This AI Model
“Talkie” is a large language model trained on only pre-1931 public domain content from Harvard libraries.
Harvard Stem Cell Institute Names New Faculty Co-Director
Biology professor Lee Rubin is a leading expert on neurogenerative diseases.
Most popular
Explore More From Current Issue
When the Revolution Hit Cambridge, Harvard Moved to Concord
College students broke hearts and windows during their year in exile.
We’re All Harvard Influencers, Like It or Not
In the digital age, it’s hard to avoid playing into the mythology.
For This Poet, AI is a Writing Partner
Sasha Stiles trained a chatbot on her manuscripts. Now, her poems rewrite themselves.