The Edgerton Bell

The Edgerton Bell. , This monumental 700-pound bell was cast in 1864 by Henry N. Hooper and Company – a firm begun by Paul Revere. This bell once rested on the Graves Ledge Bell Boat and served to warn unsuspecting mariners of certain danger. The Graves Ledge Bell Boat had been set at anchor in 1854 as America's first sound buoy. This particular bell was the second United States Lighthouse Establishment bell to be placed on the Graves Ledge Bell Boat. What happened to the first bell has never been discovered., With this bell aboard, the Bell Boat at Graves Ledge sank in a storm in 1876. The Bell Boat was replaced by a bell buoy known for its "weirdly mournful and blood chilling sounds." Fortunately for us, this stately bell was recovered by divers in 1963., The notorious Graves Ledge sits in a treacherous location about a mile NE of the mouth of Nantasket Roads, as Boston Harbor opens to the ocean. In particular, storms from the southeast terrorize shipping there, as documented over the years by historian and author Edward Rowe Snow., Work hard. Tell everyone everything you know. Close a deal with a handshake. Have fun! , "Doc" Harold Edgerton, M.I.T. , Dr. Harold Edgerton of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was working at the Graves End Lighthouse when this bell was recovered in 1963. "Doc" purchased the bell, studying its qualities for his work in sonar and underwater discovery. Dr. Edgerton's astounding maritime career also included improvements in Lighthouse lenses and advancements in underwater strobe photography, joining forces at times with the esteemed Jacques Cousteau. "Doc" is pictured below aboard Cousteau's Calypso., The bell was later placed in the chapel on the M.I.T. campus, as a donation from Dr. Edgerton's widow. In the spring of 2015, M.I.T. offered the bell to the Scituate Historical Society., The Society is honored to display the Graves Ledge Bell here as a monument to enduring craftsmanship and ingenuity in maritime science!, Henry N. Hooper and Company , The fabricator of this Graves Ledge Bell - the esteemed Henry N. Hooper and Company foundry - was originally established by Paul Revere. Mr. Hooper's company was perhaps most famous for the creation of a chandelier commissioned by the United States House of Representatives that fell from its mounting after only one day!, This company also cast a bell weighing more than 21,000 pounds for the City of New York. This massive bell was the largest bell ever cast in the United States., Henry N. Hooper and Company produced the bell found outside the Monhegan Light in Monhegan Maine. For years, that bell served at the Manana Fog Signal Station and was the model for the Jamie Wyeth painting Bronze Age, as seen in the image to the right.