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Church and Tower Bell Restoration
The Duffy family of Church Specialities, Inc. has long been recognized as the premier church bell repair and restoration company in the country. We service existing historic bells or remount them in safe steel mountings, upgraded with electric ringers and controls. Our mission is to assure the safe use of historic church tower bell systems, drawing on time honored bell making traditions augmented by the newest technologies as they prove their usefulness. No project is too large or small. Our extensive client list is available upon request. Chances are you will recognize many of our former customers.
The Duffy family has been in the church bell business since 1919, when thirteen year old Joseph P. Duffy, Sr. began work as a clerk at the Meneely Bell Company. The Meneely companies were several foundries associated with one or another branch of the Meneely family located in and around Troy, NY. In operation from 1825 to 1951, these companies produced more church and tower bells than those cast by all other U.S. bell makers combined.
In time, Joe Duffy, Jr. joined his father in the business and, in 1951, when the last Meneely company ceased operations, the Duffys offered their own bell maintenance services with the enthusiastic blessing and support of Clinton Meneely, last Vice President of Meneely Bell. This they continue to do under the leadership of a third generation of Duffys, including Joe Jr’s sons, Joe Duffy, III and Chris Duffy.
Joe Duffy, Jr. is retired but that doesn't keep him from sharing his extensive first hand knowledge of tower bells. This information comes from an archive of original hand written shipping ledgers from a number of Meneely related bell companies going back to 1850. He may have information about your specific bell, including name of purchaser, date shipped, weight, cost, musical tone, special equipment furnished, terms, inscription and even installation arrangements! If he cannot locate your particular bell, he can refer to a table which will tell you its weight and tone, if given the diameter. He can also furnish information about other historic bell manufacturers such as Paul Revere, George Holbrook, Henry Hooper, Jones and Hitchcock.
The Duffy family believes that church bells and tower bells are an enduring musical voice connecting generations across time. Whether upgrading a true bell carillon or restoring a country church bell, our expert team is dedicated to encouraging the use of bells while honoring and preserving their historic character.
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