Joseph (commonly known as Big Joe) is a bronze

bell A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inte ...

that hangs into the bell tower of Neo-Gothic Saint Francis De Sales Catholic Church in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The endearing moniker Big Joe is a combination of the names of Joseph T. Buddeke, the largest donor of the project, and Big Ben, the great bell in the iconic Palace of Westminster clock tower in London.http://saintfrancisdesalesparish.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/SFDS_History1.pdf Measuring tall and with a diameter of , the 17.5 ton bell is the largest swinging bell ever cast in the United States. It was cast on October 30, 1895 by the E. W. Van Duzen Company at their foundry on Second Street and Broadway. The massive bell was hauled by 12 horses up Gilbert Avenue, then down Madison Road to St. Frances de Sales in the neighborhood of East Walnut Hills. When first swung in January 1896, its deafening peal startled the Walnut Hills neighborhood and could be heard for . According to some accounts, the resultant E produced vibrations which shook the houses and buildings below and shattered nearby windows. However, a modern-day bell expert at Cincinnati-based

The Verdin Company The Verdin Company is a manufacturer of bronze bells, clocks and towers based in Cincinnati, Ohio in the United States. The company has been making bells for use in bell and clock towers, peals, chimes, and carillons since 1842. They also m ...

, foundry of the nearby and even larger

World Peace Bell The World Peace Bell Association (WPBA) is a Japanese organisation which attempts to raise awareness of the World peace movement by casting and installing Japanese temple bells in locations around the world. The association was effectively beg ...

(which was cast in France), dismisses damage to window glass inflicted by Big Joe as a local legend with no historical basis. According to them, Big Joe was never swung again because of trembling in the bell tower and crumbing of mortar; the bell was simply too big for its tower.Will Newport bell rattle its neighbors?
/ref> Following the bell's inaugural ring, the parish priests decreed the bell shall "remain immobile forever". The clapper was not used again; today the bell is rung only with an oversized foot hammer tapping its rim. Big Joe is struck thrice daily at 6 am, 12 noon and 6 pm for

Angelus The Angelus (; Latin for "angel") is a Catholic devotion commemorating the Incarnation of Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ o ...

, followed by the chiming of four smaller bells, known as the "ladies in waiting", resting above it.

References

External links

BIG JOE "Largest swinging bell in the world. Presented to St. Francis de Sales's congregation by the late Joseph G. Buddeke." St. Francis de Sales Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Big Joe (Bell) Buildings and structures completed in 1895 Bells (percussion) Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati Landmarks in Cincinnati

See also

References

External links