Bells have a long and distinguished past. For a brief history of bells, see the first item below, an essay from a Van Dusen Bell Company catalog c. 1920.
Our bells are mostly of American manufacture, and cover a span of the last 200 years or so. Contact us at our number above to inquire as to current stock.
The picture at the left is from a Van Duzen catalog. The accompanying text says:
"The Largest Church Bell (with Regular Swinging Church Bell Hangings) in the world, founded by us in 1895, weight with mountings, 35,000 pounds. Note comparative size with man six feet in height."
About the pictures and text available below:
All the images here were scanned from authentic antique bell catalogs owned by Brosamer's Bells. These catalogs are one of our most valuable resources in appraising and evaluating bells. They date from the turn of the century and represent most of the major manufacturers of American Bells. They contain listings of where and when various companies installed their bells, which sometimes enables us to pinpoint the history of a given bell.
The images below are presented in the best form we can manage, trading off the need for maximum legibility against the needs of those viewing these pages through slow connections. If you would like to see these at greater resolution, for research purposes, etc., please contact us and we may be able to provide you with a better-quality image for a small fee.
The images are arranged by manufacturer, and described in text and filesize. Be aware that the larger images will take a while to download through a slow connection. Click on the thumbnails to see the big pictures, and then use your "Back" button to return here.
| Thumbnail (Click for big) |
Description | Filesize |
| (Text) | Van Duzen - "Just a Little Bell History" | 85K |
 |
Van Duzen - Picture of a 4-Bell Peal | 40K |
 |
Van Duzen - Plantation, School-House, Farm and Hotel Bells | 22K |
 |
Van Duzen - Patent Rotary Yoke (bigger view of picture at top of page) |
31K |
 |
Van Duzen - Ships Signal and Alarm Bells | 21K |
 |
Van Duzen - Steamboat Bells | 25K |
| (Text) | Van Duzen - "The Value of Church Bells" an explanation of why your church needs a bell |
28K |
 |
Stuckstede - Exterior View of Hy. Stuckstede Bell Foundry Company | 49K |
 |
Stuckstede - Interior View of Hy. Stuckstede Bell Foundry Company | 40K |
 |
Stuckstede - Cover of 1906 catalog Established 1855, Circular No. 65 |
58K |
 |
Stuckstede - Table of Tone, Weight and Diameter of Bells and Price of Mountings. (Note: Prices are c. 1906, not what they are worth today) |
48K |
| (Text) | Stuckstede - A discourse on the composition and quality of Stuckstede Bells | 43K |
 |
Meneely - The Original Liberty Bell | 22K |
 |
Meneely - Replacement Liberty Bell presented to the City of Philadelphia in 1876 | 67K |
 |
Meneely - Pictures and text describing Chime and Peal Bells | 36K |
| (Text) | Meneely - Sayings found engraved in or embossed upon bells | 15K |
| (Text) | Meneely - More Sayings on bells | 15K |
 |
Cincinatti - Cover of the Cincinnati Bell Foundry catalog | 16K |
 |
Cincinatti - Text and musical scales describing Peal Bells | 21K |
 |
Cincinatti - 18" to 24" bell mountings; post and frame | 19K |
 |
Cincinatti - 24" to 36" bell mountings | 23K |
 |
Cincinatti - Quote from the poet Tennyson | 13K |
 |
Bowlden - Picture of Factory | 26K |
 |
Bowlden - Names of parts of bells | 24K |
| (Text) | Bowlden - Discourse on the merits of the Bowlden Bell, made by the American Bell & Foundry Co. of Northville, MI | 42K |
| (Text) | Bowlden - More information about mounting bells, how far they can be heard, and advice on what size to buy | 46K |
| (Text) | Bowlden - More info about tone, mountings, springs, and roller bearings | 40K |
| (Text) | Bowlden - Advice on attaching rope, how to ring, care of bells, and Bowlden claims | 30K |
 |
Bowlden - Instructions on how to hoist a bell | 34K |
| (Text) | Bowlden - Advice on inscriptions, bell rope and belfry design | 36K |
Closed Saturday-Sunday Send Us Email
Entire Site © 1999 - 2019, Brosamer's Bells, Inc.