| High above the entrance to our "mission style" church, in the belfry (or more properly, the campanile) hangs a bell. Instead of swinging as most church bells do, our bell is rung by pulling the clapper sharply against the side. Unless released immediately, the clapper stays against the side and deadens the tone of the bell. From time to time, being exposed to sun and weather, the rubber in the cord gets old and the cord needs to be replaced. Someone has to climb a ladder, and holding on with one hand, replace the bungy cord with the other. Guess who gets the job - whoever is the youngest person who reported for duty on the monthly Saturday work day. Twice, I've been the lucky one, though I passed my 60th birthday long ago. While up on the ladder (which never is "quite" long enough), I have noticed some letters cut into the bell. Because of the precarious position, and because of the curvature of the bell, and because of the design of the campanile, I wasn't able to read the message, but it had something to do with "...100 years old." | |
| Looking in Keith Rozendal's church history, published for our 40th anniversary, I noted that Sarah and Harry Waterhouse had given the bell, so I asked Harry about it. Harry told me that Sarah had heard Kenneth Grant, our third pastor, say that what our Spanish style building needed was some wrought iron gates at the patio's entrance and a bell in the bell tower. Sarah convinced Harry that they should provide the beautiful wrought iron gates made in the blacksmith shop up at the head of Harbinson Street. Then she began a search for a bell. They searched all over San Diego County for a church bell. They found ship bells. They found school bells; they even found a locomotive bell, but not one of them was the right size or right shape or would meet Sarah's standards for what would be appropriate in our campanile. | |
| Harry, at the time worked at the "Home Tower" downtown. There was a blind man, Mr. Hollis Mason who worked there. Mr. Mason's wife worked at Bernardinni's restaurant down on the waterfront. The salad chef there was Hans Lindermann. Mr. Lindermann had a private museum in National City. Mr. Mason said, "Go check out Hans's museum." Harry and Sarah went to the museum, and sure enough, there was Sarah's bell. The bell had come from a church that was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. It was about 100 years old. It had its own clapper. It had a beautiful tone. It was not just bronze; it had silver and other metals in it to produce a clear ringing sound. The only problem was, Mr. Lindermann did not want to sell it. Nothing could be done. There was Sarah's bell, but it wasn't available. | |
| Kenneth Grant went on with his life and his career and we set out to seek another pastor. | |
| The committee traveled all over Southern California listening to preachers preach. I had a van, so most of us on the Pastor Seeking Committee could ride together. Sarah and Harry went in their own car however. Sarah said it was because the seats in her car were better for her back, but she and Harry could search for bells wherever we visited whether it was Los Angeles, El Centro, or Paramount (where we finally found our next pastor, Jerry Allin). No bell was quite right. | |
| Suddenly Mr. Lindermann had to move his museum. He had to do something with the bell, and he wanted it to go to the right people - the people who had appreciated it so much. Times were hard for our little church. There were no funds for a bell. So Sarah and Harry decided to give up their Christmas Bonus for the tower bell. Harry designed and built a stand for the bell. It would be stationary, and would be rung with a cord he rigged through the narthex ceiling and through the balcony. But the heavy bell was on the ground and the alcove in the bell tower was 35 feet up in the air. | |
| Sarah neatly solved that one. Their son worked for the phone company. She talked him into talking to the folks at work and convinced them that the phone company could do a public service by helping the "little brown church" on Harbinson to lift its bell into the tower. So thanks to the phone company - and Harry's Christmas Bonus - and Sarah's persistence we have a church bell in our campanile. | |
| Meanwhile, James B.
Lane from National Steel and Shipbuilding had heard about Sarah's search. He knew about a big bell that might be
available. In the 1920s
during the "mission revival" era in architecture and the awakening of
interest in early California history, the Native Sons of the Golden West had
erected markers all along the route of the Old King's Highway - El Camino
Real. These markers were in the
shape of a large, full size mission bell suspended from a shepherd's crook,
with a sign directing visitors to the twenty-one Spanish and Mexican missions
and other historical sites along El Camino Real. CalTrans had made 17 replicas of these markers for a hotel
that was being built in Mission Bay Park - Vacation Village. These were cast from iron, not bronze
or bell metal, and there was one left over. Our little church was certainly never a Spanish mission, and
it was never anywhere near El Camino Real, but the bell fit in with the style
of the buildings. Also, the former
manse was being changed into the new church office. Its old garage was being turned into a "campus room"
and the old driveway was being paved with brick by volunteers headed by Woody
Patton. Why not plant a mission
bell on the office front patio. So
one more time Sarah and Harry Waterhouse presented their gift to their church
family. It was top heavy and awkward
to work with but Harry and Woody set it with a good foundation so it wouldn't
topple and it couldn't be lifted.
Though it is not bell metal, the old cast iron bell has a nice
tone. I've seen Harry give it a
rap with his knuckle when he walks by.
I do too. Try it - you'll
like it. It's kind of a way of
saying thanks to Sarah. |
|
- The Bell Ringer
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Last modified: Sunday, August 24, 2003