Submitted by: Ellen Harde, Westford Resident
What has been missing in Westford for the past two years?
Have you noticed? No bell has rung the hour from the spire of the First Parish Church United (FPCU) on Westford Common. The 1856 bell in the white church has been silent due to needed repairs in the clock tower.
But as of last month, a bell once again chimes the hour in Westford, thanks to the Parish Center for the Arts (PCA), located across Westford Common from the FPCU.
While the FPCU spire needs repair, the bell tower on the PCA at the corner of Boston Road and Lincoln Street has been newly refurbished. The 1835 bell in the tower, cast by an apprentice of Paul Revere, is in fine shape. When Community Preservation funds recently paid to replace rotted wood and stabilize the bell tower, the PCA board wondered if perhaps their bell might ring the hour.
The PCA board contacted the First Parish Prudential Committee to let them know that the PCA bell would be electrified to ring the hour. Two companies that electrify church bells were found. Both are in Ohio, and one is the same company that electrified the FPCU bell in 1960 when lifelong resident Mabel Drew gifted the church the money needed to have the bell ring on the hour.
The PCA board raised the money needed, and the equipment was ordered from Chime Master. On April 17th, installer Brian Michaels drove to Westford from Pennsylvania to do the installation. At 1 p.m. that Thursday afternoon, the new control panel signaled the PCA bell to ring the hour.
The timing could not have been better. On the evening of Friday, April 18th, there was “A National Bell Ringing for Democracy” for “congregations across the country to come together in a symbolic act: ringing bells for democracy, inspired by the events of 250 years ago, when Boston’s Old North Church signaled the start of Paul Revere’s ride and churches throughout the area rang their bells in warning.”
On the evening of April 18th at 6 p.m., the bell at the PCA joined the national bell ringing, pealing for one minute.
The following morning, April 19th, was Patriots Day, and the Westford Minuteman stepped off from Westford Common at 5 a.m. to march to Concord, just as the Westford Minutemen did in 1775, 250 years ago. This year, as the Minutemen passed the PCA, the newly electrified bell was rung.
On Sunday mornings, members of the FPCU arriving for the 10:30 a.m. service can now hear the “Call To Service” being rung from the PCA bell across the way.
When you are on Westford Common for Strawberry Festival on June 14th, pause on the hour to listen. Once again, a bell rings the hour at Westford Common.
