The Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower is a functioning bell tower located on the campus of

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

(UNC). It is a 172-foot-tall tower with a

Roman numeral Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, eac ...

clock built-in on each of the four sides of the tower. The top of the bell tower holds an observation area. It is topped by a

conical A cone is a three-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat base (frequently, though not necessarily, circular) to a point called the apex or vertex. A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, or lines conn ...

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires are ...

structure. The area around the bell tower is surrounded by hedges and a grass lawn designed by University

botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

professor

William Chambers Coker William Chambers Coker (October 24, 1872 – June 26, 1953) was an American botanist and mycologist. Biography He was born at Hartsville, South Carolina on October 24, 1872. He graduated from South Carolina College in 1894 and took postgrad ...

, who also designed the

Coker Arboretum Coker Arboretum (5.3 acres) is an arboretum within the North Carolina Botanical Garden on the campus of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The collection consists of a wide variety of plantings including flowering tre ...

on campus. The tower is one of the most visible landmarks on campus.

History

The idea of erecting a bell tower on the University of North Carolina campus was originally suggested by

John Motley Morehead III John Motley Morehead III (November 3, 1870 – January 7, 1965) was an American chemist, politician, and diplomat. As a chemist, his work provided much of the foundation for the business of Union Carbide Corporation. The Union Carbide and Ca ...

in the 1920s, but it was denied several times by the University because of conflicts regarding the location. When the idea was finally approved, the construction began with the funding of two sponsors, Morehead and Rufus Lenoir Patterson II. The tower was designed by

McKim, Mead & White McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm that came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in fin de siècle New York. The firm's founding partners Charles Follen McKim (1847–1909), Wil ...

, an architectural firm. It shares a resemblance to the

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...

(NC State) Belltower that was initially built to commemorate the NC State alumni that fell during World War I. The tower was dedicated and received by Governor

Oliver Max Gardner Oliver Max Gardner (March 22, 1882February 6, 1947) was an American politician who served as the 57th governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1929 to 1933. A member of the Democratic Party, Gardner worked in the administrations of Pres ...

Thanksgiving day Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden a ...

of 1931 with an acceptance address. When head football coach

Mack Brown William Mack Brown (born August 27, 1951) is an American college football coach. He is currently in his second stint as the head football coach for the University of North Carolina, where he first coached from 1988 until departing in 1997, whe ...

returned to Chapel Hill following the 2018 season, he brought with him the tradition of lighting the bell tower blue after every Tar Heel victory, as he had similarly done at Texas with The Tower, lighting the Tower burnt orange after every Longhorn victory.

Belfry

The belfry originally began with 12 manually operated bells made by

Meneely Bell Foundry The Meneely Bell Foundry was a bell foundry established in 1826 in West Troy (now Watervliet), New York, by Andrew Meneely. Two of Andrew's sons continued to operate the foundry after his death, while a third son, Clinton H. Meneely, opened a se ...

in 1931. It is currently equipped with 14 mechanized bells with the addition of 2 bells by

Petit & Fritsen Royal Bellfounders Petit & Fritsen, located in Aarle-Rixtel, the Netherlands, is a former foundry, one of the oldest family-owned businesses in the Netherlands, with the foundry dating back to 1660. Petit & Fritsen was a foundry that cast bells f ...

in 1998. The names of prominent figures in the University history, Governor John Motley Morehead and William Lenoir, are inscribed on the two largest bells. The bells ring every 15 minutes, chiming on the hour. In addition, the bells play other songs or the alma mater as part of University celebrations or holidays.

References

External links

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landmarks Clock towers in North Carolina Towers completed in 1931 Towers in North Carolina University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill buildings {{NorthCarolina-struct-stub