Reflections From The Bell Tower - 1845-2001Rejoice - it�s 1845, the year of my birth, in this small spiritually loving community of Belleville. I can see from my new point of view that the early pioneers have made great progress in the past forty-three years since Calvin Clark, the first settler, took up his residence in 1802. I am told that the Baptist and Presbyterian faiths have erected houses of worship during the past twenty-five years, some more than once. Just to my north I can see a huge stone structure. It has been said that these strong citizens of the community erected this as an institution of higher learning. First to be called the �Union Literary Society.� One day, while observing my caretaker in his motherly devotions, I learned that my location was selected because of its close proximity to the churches and institution. Wasn�t this wonderful planning, educational calling during the week, spiritual calling on the Sabbath day and to gather the citizenry in cases of emergency? My structure is twenty-four foot square and I have three floors, plus the bell chamber at the top. Inside stairs lead from the first floor on up through each floor to the bell chamber. It takes great devotions on the part of the caretaker, as he manually rings my bell. In 1854, I watched with amazement while the Presbyterian Church (now the Methodist Church) was being constructed on my southeast. During my early youth, I have been witness to the tremendous growth of student enrollments at the Academy. In 1856, while the Rev. J. Dunbar Houghton was at the helm, a new wooden structure was built across the front edifice of the stone building. It housed offices, a library, a memorial hall, students and teachers living quarters as well as living quarters on the third floor for the principal and his family. The name of the Academy was changed to the �Union Academy, Belleville,� a much more appropriate title. In 1858, the year after this new structure was built I experienced my first move and received my first injury. I was much too close to the new academic building and the trustees decided to move me a number of feet to my south. Ten dollars was appropriated for my move and twenty dollars to make some structural repairs. In the move I rolled off my skids causing me to sway and my bell made a thunderous clang. An inspection showed that my bell was cracked. It took many years before my bell was replaced with a fine new bell that was cast in Troy, NY. Shipped by rail to Pierrepont Manor and then by sleigh to be placed in my tower during the winter of 1862. Through the years the method of ringing my bell has changed many times. At first it was all by hand. Then there was a system of weights, which would allow me to toll out the hours for a period without hourly attention. There also were years when I saw sadness during the Civil War era. The ensuing years saw very hard times for the Academy. I housed a destitute lady and her children for a time, who took in washings to provide for her family. I also housed the village common school district for a number of years during the 1870�s. In 1901, the Mather families established the Mather School of Agriculture. This school of agriculture was the first in the United States to teach a course in an academic school. My interior provided the classroom space for agriculture instruction. The most tragic day I have witnessed was the early morning hours of Monday, January 23, 1923, when I began to see smoke pouring from the academic institution. A fire had spread in the partitions before being discovered. Due to the time of the year, and having very little equipment for fire fighting at this time, little could be done to stop its progress. All to soon, everything lay in complete loss. I escaped whole and without harm but was left very lonely. Classrooms were established everywhere in the village immediately. Rebuilding commenced in the spring of 1924 and a new brick institution was opened in the fall. I again was witness to the flow of students, teachers, parents and friends. Centralization of the common school system commenced in the early 1930�s. The Union Academy building became the Belleville Central School District and the school no longer was funded by tuition but by property taxes. A six room addition was added for classrooms to house grades one through six. This brought about my second move to make room for these new classrooms. I was moved to my present location at the entrance to the Williams Park. In the ensuing years I have witnessed growth of additional campus grounds and saw more building growth in 1954, just to my West. From time to time I have had some of my needs attended to, but as my age was now showing, I was beginning to sag. This called for drastic preservation measures to save my existence. My structure was electrified to enable my bell to be struck hourly. The Union Academy at Belleville, as administered by the UAB Board of Trustees, has performed these repairs and modifications. Today, I can see school busses coming and going from my view of the old UAB edifice. There was construction of a new Belleville-Henderson Central School building during the 1980�s resulting in another large addition in the surrounding campus to my North. The past two years has seen modernization of my bell striking system and two new clock face mechanisms that enable me to show the time. I am now told that the Trustees have plans for making my first two floors into an illustration of early common school systems of the one and two-room schoolhouses. It will be furnished with period pieces upon completion of the renovations. This will require public support with donations of artifacts to have on display for tours and educational purposes. I hope that the support that I have witnessed over the years for my progressive growth will come forth with this new appeal made to all alumni, students, teachers, parents, and friends. My useful purpose will continue with this historic preservation measure. Claude E. Poor, chairman of the History Committee, will receive artifacts and other memorabilia for this preservation project. Claude can be reached at (315) 846-5255 or at 8465 County Route 75. As I reflect now, in retrospect, my 156 years of service as the sentinel for this community, I have been witness to a tremendous revolution in education and life. I stand here in wonderment of what another century will behold! If you will stay in touch I will make you another report as to the new happenings to me and to all that surrounds me! Goodbye for now, until we meet again! Article as it appeared in the |