The New Bourdon Bell
The most exciting addition to the McGaffin Carillon is the new bourdon—the largest bell of the instrument. This bell weighs 4,290 pounds and measures 58.3 inches in diameter. It adds a low B♭ to the bass range of the carillon. As the largest bell, it has the honor of chiming the hours, twenty-four hours a day. Its deep tones bring an authoritative voice to the clock.
This bell was a gift from the grandchildren of Alexander McGaffin. It is inscribed:
In Loving Memory of our Grandparents
Alexander and Anna D. McGaffin
and our mother
Elizabeth Ann McGaffin Ferries
Judith Ferries Smith
Susan Ferries Moore
Elizabeth Ferries
The New Bourdon is Lifted into the Tower with inches to spare!
Alexander McGaffin was the pastor who shepherded the merger of the two congregations that formed The Euclid Avenue Presbyterian Church in 1907. The congregation chose this central location in what was then still a residential college town on the edge of Wade Park—Cleveland’s “Central Park.” The art museum was still a dream. University Hospitals was twenty years from being built. The University traffic circle, after which the area was eventually named, was less than ten years old.
The church building committee struggled with both the budget and the Gothic design chosen for the sanctuary and the tower—which was almost not built. Dr. McGaffin was determined that the church would have a tower, and that it would one day hold bells. He secured funding and persuaded the committee of the tower’s importance to the church’s design and the broader community.
However, it was not until 1968 that his dream of installing tower bells was realized—thanks to a bequest from Mrs. McGaffin and gifts from friends. The McGaffin Carillon was cast and installed.
The grandchildren visited Cleveland for the first time during the carillon’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2018, when the restored peal was dedicated. At that time, they committed to funding the new B♭ bell that was part of the planned renovation. The bell was cast in 2023.
The descendants of Alexander McGaffin and spouses during their 2018 visit
We are pleased to have made this connection with the McGaffin family. A great-grandson, Douglas Jackson-Smith, has recently joined the board of directors of The Friends of the McGaffin Carillon.