Chapel Bells Swasey (subject files) | Archives and Special Collections Catalog

Swasey Chapel has been a staple of Denison since its full completion in 1922, funded by Ambrose Swasey. The Swasey bells were a gift in memory to his late wife; the incription on the largest bell out of the ten reads "In Memory of Lavinia Marston Swasey, beloved wife of Ambrose Swasey. A.D. 1923. Students have played music on the bells since their implementation, but before 1937 only hymns were played, until eventually each student was able to choose their own music to broadcast to the Denison community. Every student bell ringer has a different story to tell about their time ringing the bells, and the job changed over time, but many bell ringers throught Denison's history comment about how challenging ringing the bells actually is.

There is also information on bell cleaning, how to ring the bells, and how to tune a carillon.