After years of silence, the chapel bells will soon be ready to ring again at Mississippi State University. A few years ago, the carillon (a system of 183 distinctly toned bells) stopped ringing in the Carillon Tower, a 112-foot tower at the Chapel of Memories. It’s not that the bells were no longer festive or reverent, they just were not safe.
“The masonry was so loose that when the carillon sounded, you could actually see the bricks move,” Bob Johnson, assistant director of facilities planning and construction, said.
The deterioration was so rapid that the carillon was temporarily retired, and the surrounding area was sealed off for safety reasons.
Soon afterward, Johnson called on the help of Columbus-based Rick Williams Construction Company to renovate the Carillon Tower.
“Our major goal was to take down the top two levels of masonry because they were severely weakened from weathering,” Johnson said.
In addition to reinforcing the masonry, the renovations also included a new roof and a new drainage system to give the tower a longer life.
“The water system keeps the water from migrating into the walls,” Johnson said. “The tower has a new lease on life now.”
Just last week, the final inspection was conducted, and workers dismantled the scaffolding. When the Physical Plant reconnects all parts of the carillon, the bells will ring again. Johnson said he expects the work to take a few weeks.
“The project went very well,” Johnson said.
At $292,000, the renovations actually cost more than the chapel’s initial construction.
Emma Armstrong, facilities use coordinator, said the bells will ring again when the carillon is reprogrammed. The carillon relies on a computer-based program to dictate the schedule of chimes.
William Gearhiser, a former MSU employee, ran the carillon for nearly 30 years, but will be unable to take care of the carillon in the future.
The Chapel of Memories literally rose from the ashes from a once-modern marvel. In 1966, the Chapel of Memories was built with brick from Old Main, which was believed to be the world’s largest dormitory before it was destroyed by fire in 1959. The Carillon Tower was a gift to the university by Mr. and Mrs. George D. Perry.
William Gearhiser, a former MSU employee, ran the carillon for nearly 30 years, but will be unable to take care of the carillon in the future.
Today, the Chapel of Memories continues to serve MSU as an outlet for prayer services, weddings and other campus events.
The office of Facilities Use schedules and keeps track of events for the chapel.
Armstrong said the chapel is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“Student groups can reserve it for special events, and religious organizations can use it for prayer time during the week,” Armstrong said.
“The big thing with the chapel is weddings,” Armstrong said. “Sometimes we have three weddings scheduled for one Saturday.”
For weddings, couples reserve the chapel for $175, and they have the chapel for four hours on the day of the wedding and one hour the night before for rehearsal.
The chapel plays host to many other events as well. Memorial services for students and faculty members take place at the chapel, as does the ROTC’s changing of the guard.
With its brick structure, 250-pound red oak doors and inch-thick stained glass windows, the Chapel drowns out the clamor from outside, providing an ideal atmosphere for prayer.
But no matter what denominations seek divine refuge in the Chapel, the entire MSU community can once again rejoice in the chimes that resonate from its Tower.<</p>