I awaken early this morning, full of anticipation and expectations. The first day of spring will be arriving in a matter of days and winter will slowly release its grip. A walk in the forest is in order this morning. Bundled against the late winter chill, I venture into the wilderness in search of peace and solitude.
The forest is exceptionally crisp this morning with a low fog that further enhances the damp black tree branches. Oaks, maples and birches are patiently waiting for the rays of spring sunshine to bud. I walk in the remains of the winter snow that is finally releasing its final grip on our little town. I think perhaps I might miss this snow when August heat arrives, but I am ready. I am ready for nature to work in our favor and deliver a beautiful spring and summer.
As I walk in the forest, I find the comfort I seek, perhaps with a touch of forlornness, but it is a feeling I embrace and consume. A feeling that quenches my thirst for nature. As I walk along the trail under heavy fog, I stop to admire a stone wall meandering through the forest. The fog has kissed this centuries-old wall with a morning dew. I proceed further and am suddenly mesmerized by the enchanting sound of church bells chiming in the distance. I stop as the bells continue to chime in cadence and appreciate my surroundings even more.
My distant bells have chimed from a few miles in the distance with the forest carrying the tune unencumbered by the noise of a busy town. The bells toll at St. Paul’s School here in Concord. My mind quickly recalls a phrase from poet John Donne in 1624, “For whom the bell tolls.” I walk a short distance and speak aloud “It tolls for thee.” Yes, the distant bells toll for me.
Church bells have been revered by our ancestors and certainly by today’s civilization too. Bells are a very expensive investment and certainly require a great deal of talent to produce. Here in Concord our church bells have been rung simultaneously for many decades in observance of holidays, for joyful occasions, in times of sadness too. As the years have passed, the number of bells ringing in our New Hampshire towns have diminished. The once coveted bell is sometimes forgotten and sentenced to be lost to history.
There was a subscription established on Dec. 31, 1825, in Concord for the purpose of raising funds to purchase a bell and clock for the Baptist Meeting House. Our ancestors used subscriptions to raise funds for many items they wished to add to their community, church or club. Once established people would donate and be recognized for their generosity.
The Baptist Meeting House subscribers’ number 82 people, each signing their names and pledging a total of $705 for the purchase of the bell and clock. William Kent donated the land for the Baptist Church and again pledged another $100 for the bell and clock. Joseph Low pledged $50 and the editor of the New Hampshire Patriot Newspaper, Isaac Hill, generously donated too.
With the funds secured, the bell was purchased and provided much enjoyment to the people of our town. It was the second bell in Concord, quite unusual for this era, but certainly appreciated by all. It was just two years later when the Baptist bell encountered misfortune in 1827, the bell on the south Meeting House was found to be cracked and rendered useless. The people were eager to procure another bell to replace the cracked bell. Many people from the community donated once again to purchase the second bell. The second bell weighed 1,240 pounds — the tongue weighed 28 pounds and came with a warrantee for a 12-month period.
The second bell was purchased and brought to Concord by the Concord Boating Company. The boating company charged $7.25 to ship the bell to Concord from Boston upon their ship. The bell sailed up the Merrimack River and was brought ashore in Concord. The second bell was quickly installed in the Baptist belfry for a period of 28 years until another unfortunate situation arose once again.
It was on June 4, 1855, the second bell in the Baptist belfry was found to be cracked. It was without much fanfare — the congregation gathered and formed a bell committee to address the second damaged bell. The church committee immediately approved the purchase of another bell, the third bell to land in the Baptist belfry in Concord.
As I conclude my morning walk in the forest, I enjoy the sound of silence. I do appreciate the St. Paul’s bell very much and anxiously await my next excursion into the forest where the sound of silence greatly enhances the distant sound of bells.