Lincoln Academy Technology Support Specialist Michael Johnson (right) takes photos while crew members from Keeley Crane Service, of Portland, work on lifting Lincoln Academy’s new belfry to the roof the morning of Saturday, Sept. 7. The bell and belfry were removed in October 2023 due to structural issues. (Piper Pavelich photo)
Less than a year after structural concerns necessitated its removal, a belfry once again sits on the bell tower at of Lincoln Academy.
A replica of the original, the new and upgraded belfry was lifted into place on Sept. 7, days after the school’s refurbished 1854 Hooper bell made its heralded return Sept. 4, thanks to a lift from B&B Tree Service, of Nobleboro.
“To see that bell back up there … it’s a really neat moment,” said LA Head of School Jeff Burroughs. “When you have a responsibility to take care of something like this, it’s a pretty proud moment to see it all come back together.”
The return of two of the town academy’s icons brings to a close a three-phase project started in 2023 after an investigation by the Lincoln Academy Board of Trustees and its building and grounds committee revealed structural concerns with the bell tower and belfry.
The first phase of the project, the removal of the bell and belfry by South Portland’s Keeley Crane Service, took place in October 2023. While the presence of rot and other signs of wear on the 1850s belfry were expected, the removal revealed an unexpected revelation about the bell’s history.
School administration believed the 800-pound bronze bell was cast by The Verdin Co. in Cincinnati, Ohio, the foundry where it was to be sent for refurbishment. However, once the bell was on the ground, they learned it was engraved with Henry N. Hooper & Co., which was based in Boston, Mass. Additional research indicated the bell was cast in 1854 by Henry Hooper, who apprenticed in the foundry started by Paul Revere.
The second phase of the project concerned the shoring up of the tower the belfry sits on. An engineering assessment revealed issues with the tower itself, which resulted in a slight tilt of the structure, Mayher said.
“The beams that go from the (top of the tower) all the way down to the basement were lifted … just floating above the ground,” she said. “That’s partially why this took a year … there were all of the invisible, behind-the-scenes things that needed to happen.”
Crews shored up the four stories of the tower, from the basement up through the administrative offices, library annex, and attic, Mayher said.
While that work proceeded, a crew from Robins Construction, owned by LA alum Robert O’Brien, began constructing a new belfry in the school’s ATEC building. Modeling the structure of the original, each crossbar needed to be rebuilt individually due to the curve in the structure.
The eight pillars that support the belfry were also reconstructed, as the originals were “completely rotted,” Mayher said. The new pillars are solid wood; however, they have been sheathed in fiberglass to protect from the elements.
“Robins Construction has done an incredible job,” Burroughs said. “We’ve been so pleased with how professional, how inclusive and welcoming of people into the process they are. They’ve just been wonderful to work with.”
There are two noticeable changes to the belfry, the first being the upgrade of the roof from having asphalt shingles to a copper covering.
The other, involving the alewife weather vane, is a bit more nostalgic. In the 1970s, then-shop teacher Dick Chadwick and mechanical drawing teacher Danny Day carved the fish-shaped weather vane out of wood. While the piece held up “amazingly well” for half a century, it also became quite fragile, Mayher said.
Gracing the top of the new belfry is a gold-plated metal replica, crafted and donated by Masters Machine Co., of Round Pond. The Lincoln Academy logo is detailed into one side of the weather vane, while the Masters Machine Co. logo is on the other.
In addition to the Masters family, other school alumni donated goods and efforts to support the project. DiMauro Electric, owned by class of 2001 member Paul DiMauro, wired a new spotlight in the belfry while classmate Nathan Sullivan built the cradle for the bell.
While the final phase of the project – the replacement of the belfry and return of the bell to their respective locations – wrapped up just in time for homecoming, school administration still hopes to raise the final $50,000 to meet the project’s $282,000 cost. Individuals who give $1,000 or more will have their names included on a plaque inside LA and a granite cornerstone on the school grounds, according to Heather D’Ippolito, the school’s director of community engagement and development.
In the interim, the traditional ringing of the bell to celebrate extracurricular achievements will not only return, but make up for lost time. The last ringing of the bell took place in fall 2022, when the girls and boys cross country teams and the boys soccer team commemorated their respective KVAC championship wins, before the structure was deemed unsafe.
At 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, during the school’s homecoming celebration, champions who didn’t have the opportunity to do so previously – including one-act regional winners, national debate team qualifiers, robotics club state champs, and more – are invited to ring the newly refurbished bell. All are welcome to attend.
For more information about the Raise the Bell campaign or to donate, go to lincolnacademy.org/support/raise-the-la-bell.
