The Byers Memorial Tower Chimes
The Byers Memorial Tower Chimes has been given to the Glory of God in loving memory of George “Buddy” and Diane Byers by their children, Lynn, Beth, and George Jr. and their families.
Our tower chimes were manufactured in 1927 by the J.C. Deagan Company of Chicago, Illinois, and were installed at Central United Methodist Church in Springfield, Ohio, as a gift from its Ladies Aid Society.
How did they come to be at our church? This is an amazing story about saving something worthy of being saved that likely would have been lost forever. They were saved from the tower of Central UMC in 2021 shortly after the church closed. The building would soon be sold. One of our members made inquiries, and after discussion with the Conference office, they agreed that donating them to our church offered the best opportunity for them to be heard again. Over two weekends in August of that year, volunteers from our church rescued them from a likely death. A great deal of muscle and sweat (and a thorough understanding of the laws of gravity!) went into dismantling them and hoisting them down a very narrow series of staircases. With the heaviest and lowest-sounding tubular chime weighing nearly 700 pounds, the task was not easy!!
J.C. Deagan manufactured about 439 sets of chimes between 1916 and 1958, with most being installed in the 1920s. They varied in numbers of solid bronze tubular chimes from 1 to 97. Most sets included 10 to 16. They were installed in churches, various municipal buildings, and public parks throughout the country. The closest surviving sets are in Bellefontaine, Newark, and at Capital University in Bexley. Sadly, many have been replaced with electronically produced sounds, scrapped, or simply demolished ~ gone forever. But happily, some still exist. They have been repaired or restored, and can be heard today. We are very fortunate that the Byers family funded the complete restoration and installation of our chimes. Our set includes 16 individual chimes, more than an octave of notes. Any hymn can be played on them! They will be operable either automatically or directly from the organ console, whenever a special occasion arises.
Our tower chimes were manufactured in 1927 by the J.C. Deagan Company of Chicago, Illinois, and were installed at Central United Methodist Church in Springfield, Ohio, as a gift from its Ladies Aid Society.
How did they come to be at our church? This is an amazing story about saving something worthy of being saved that likely would have been lost forever. They were saved from the tower of Central UMC in 2021 shortly after the church closed. The building would soon be sold. One of our members made inquiries, and after discussion with the Conference office, they agreed that donating them to our church offered the best opportunity for them to be heard again. Over two weekends in August of that year, volunteers from our church rescued them from a likely death. A great deal of muscle and sweat (and a thorough understanding of the laws of gravity!) went into dismantling them and hoisting them down a very narrow series of staircases. With the heaviest and lowest-sounding tubular chime weighing nearly 700 pounds, the task was not easy!!
J.C. Deagan manufactured about 439 sets of chimes between 1916 and 1958, with most being installed in the 1920s. They varied in numbers of solid bronze tubular chimes from 1 to 97. Most sets included 10 to 16. They were installed in churches, various municipal buildings, and public parks throughout the country. The closest surviving sets are in Bellefontaine, Newark, and at Capital University in Bexley. Sadly, many have been replaced with electronically produced sounds, scrapped, or simply demolished ~ gone forever. But happily, some still exist. They have been repaired or restored, and can be heard today. We are very fortunate that the Byers family funded the complete restoration and installation of our chimes. Our set includes 16 individual chimes, more than an octave of notes. Any hymn can be played on them! They will be operable either automatically or directly from the organ console, whenever a special occasion arises.