At Maryland Collector's Home...
Bells are Ringing
By Jill Teunis
Gary Spickler of Hagerstown, Md., has an extensive collection of animal bells that echoes two centuries of American history. He picked up his first strap of sleigh bells 35 years ago.
"There are sleigh bells and cow bells and even dog bells," he says. "Cow bells were used throughout the country in the 18th and 19th centuries, and some are still used today. They belled every animal so they'd know where it was."
The term "sleigh bell" includes all harness bells. There are saddle chimes, hame (or Conestoga bells), and shaft and pole chimes. According to Gary, the closed jingle (or crotal type bell) is the most popular with collectors.
Jingle bells come in two styles: rivet and shank. Rivet bells slide through a hole in a leather strap.
Shank bells, though, are fastened with a butterfly-shaped wire on the back of a strap. When shank bells were used in harness, a second strap was added to protect the horse. The bell strap was attached to the horse around its middle or its neck.
Gary says true bell metal is 88 percent copper, 10 percent tin, and 2 percent phosphates. Bells were also made of brass, steel, pewter and iron, with brass providing the most resonance. The larger the bell, the lower the tone.
Most of the bells used in the 19th century in the U.S. and Canada were made in East Hampton, Conn. The use of bells on pack animals dates to medieval England, when their sounds alerted oncoming traffic to their presence. By the 18th century, their use on horse harnesses was almost universal. Their usefulness as a safety factor was enhanced by their musical sounds and decorative appearance.
In 1809, William B. Barton of East Hampton developed a method of casting jingle bells in one piece. He established the first factory devoted exclusively to bell making. Prior to that time, those bells had been made from two pieces of metal pressed together.
"Many of Barton's workers went on to establish their own bell factories, making East Hampton the bell capital of the continent, with more than 30 factories," Gary says. "Many of the bells, including those of Barton's descendants', bear the maker's initials. But the bell industry faded with the coming of the automobile, and now only the Bevin Brothers Company makes bells in East Hampton."