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Bell Foundries in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
At least 37 different business enterprises are known to have made, sold or advertised
bells in the city of St.Louis at various times during the last two-thirds of the
19th century, with a few of them lasting into the first half of the 20th century.
One of them was large enough to compete with the major bellfoundries to the east,
and was among the four minor American makers of chimes.
These businesses are listed below in four groups.
- "Known bellfoundries" are those for which positive evidence of bell foundry
work exists, either as actual bells or as identification or advertisement of
themselves as bell (and brass) foundries.
- "Private label resellers" are those firms which sold under their own names bells
that presumably had been made for them by some other firm.
The evidence for this is twofold:
the resellers never advertised themselves as a bell or brass foundry,
and the style of their bells is identical to that of a known bellfoundry.
- "Known resellers" are those firms which are known to have sold
bells made by others, either at retail or second-hand.
- "Possible bellfoundries or resellers of bells" are those firms which
advertised bells but did not identify themselves as foundries,
and no bells bearing their name are (yet) known to exist.
In each group, the businesses are listed in order of first appearance.
When a firm had different names at different times, those specific names are listed
in order of use under the name of a principal proprietor or a generic name.
| If you know of a bell which carries any of
the names listed below, or a bell marked "St.Louis" with a name that is not
listed below, please
send
me a message about it.
If possible, include photographs (the more detailed, the better);
tell me the diameter of the bell (in inches, measured across the mouth)
and whatever is known of its history.
In return, I can tell you something of the foundry's history
and how your bell compares with others from the same source.
On request, I can also provide free advice regarding maintenance, restoration, etc.
|
Known bellfoundries:
Names which have been found on bells are shown in
green.
All of these foundries produced cast bronze tower bells unless noted otherwise.
- 1842-47, Marcus O'Hara
- 1845-50, John W. Burd
- 1845, Burd, Tilden & Burd
- 1848, Burd, Rucker & Co.
- 1850, John W. Burd
- 1852-64, John Kupferle & Bro., Missouri Bell and Brass Foundry
- 1852-66, Francis Mayer
(commonly abbreviated as Fr. Mayer)
- 1853-1866, David Caughlan (see photo page):
- 1853, Caughlan & Piquett
- 1857, Caughlan Bell & Brass Founders
- 1858, Caughlan & Bro.
- 1858-66, David Caughlan
- 1855-1931, first Stuckstede foundry:
- 1855-62, J. G. Stuckstede & Co.
- 1863-83, J. G. Stuckstede & Bro.
- 1884-91, H. Stuckstede & Co.
- 1892-1931, The Henry Stuckstede Bell Foundry Co.
(often abbreviated as "THE HY STUCKSTEDE BELL FDY CO"
on the largest bells or "B F CO" on smaller bells)
While the company was apparently incorporated in 1888, when the new name
began appearing in city directories, that name did not begin appearing on
their bells until 1892.
The reason for the delay is unknown.
- 1863-93, Henry Bloemker
- 1865-73, William Harpke
- 1865-69, Central Bell & Brass Foundry
- 1870-73, Harpke & Dauernheim
- 1866-67, Kupferle & Boissellier,
Eagle Bell & Brass Foundry
- 1866-71, E. C. Mayer
- 1866-69, Mayer & Ruppenthal
- 1870-71, Emil C. Mayer
- 1867-1882, Wm Hunt Owen
(one 8-inch brass bell)
- 1877-, More, Jones & Co.
(bronze horse car bells)
- 1880-, J. W. Garratt
- 1880-99, J. W. Garratt & Co.
- 1900-06, J. W. Garratt Brass Foundry Co.
- 1904-12, Hewitt Mfg. Co.
- 1888-98, George W. Gregg (gong bells)
- 1890-1961, second Stuckstede foundry:
Stuckstede & Bro.
Private-label resellers of bells:
Names which have been found on bells are shown in
green.
All are cast bronze tower bells unless noted otherwise.
- 1865-1917, L. M. Rumsey
(large cast bronze by McShane of Baltimore; small cast bronze
by first Stuckstede;
cast steel farm (and larger) bells by C.S.Bell, Hillsboro, Ohio)
- 1865-80, L. M. Rumsey & Co.
- 1881-1917, L. M. Rumsey M'F'G. Co.
(typical abbreviation in city directories: "Mnfg.")
- 1875-present, Witte
- 1875-80, F. A. Witte & Co.
- 1881-present, Witte Hardware Co.
(cast steel farm bells by C.S.Bell, Hillsboro, Ohio)
- 1877-1917, Nelson (by Stuckstede & Bro.)
- 1877-83, N. O. Nelson & Co.
- 1884-1917, N. O. Nelson Mfg. Co.
- 18xx, Shapleigh [research incomplete]
- 1863-1960, A.F.Shapleigh Hardware Co.
(cast steel farm bells by C.S.Bell, Hillsboro, Ohio)
- 1881-1900, David N. Brown Machinery Co.
- D N Brown Co.
(cast steel farm bells by C.S.Bell, Hillsboro, Ohio)
NOTE: It is true that we don't yet have direct evidence of any contractual relationships
between these firms and the foundries which we presume to have made the bells which they
sold under their own names.
And it is true that the C.S.Bell company complained in their catalogues that their products had
been used as patterns by imitators.
However, we believe that the imitators produced the anonymous bells which we have seen
in the C.S.Bell style, and that the companies listed here were sufficiently reputable
not to have resorted to the procurement of imitations.
Known resellers of bells:
- 1878-98, P. P. Manion Blacksmith & Wrecking Co.
- 1873-1922, Simmons Hardware Co.
Possible bellfoundries or resellers of bells:
- 1840-48, Henry M. Snyder
- 1850-83, Sellew & Co.
- 1857-99?, Conrad Seibel
- 1859-60, Adam Caughlan
- 1859, Caughlan & Dauernheim
- 1860, Cordry, Caughlan & Co.
- 1864-66, William Koennker
- 1866-78, Smith, Lafayette Foundry
- Smith & Beggs
- Smith, Beggs & Co.
- 1867-78, Manny & Co.
- 1868-82, Semple
- 1868-76, Semple, Birge & Co.
- 1877-82, Semple & Birge Mfg. Co.
- 1876-83, George S. Hunt, Diamond Anti-Friction Metal Co.
- 1879-81, Ostrander
- 1879, Bignall & Ostrander
- 1880-81, Goulds & Ostrander
- 1883-, Central Union Brass Co.
- 1883-88, John R. Calhoun & Co.
- 1888-19xx, Louis Seibel & Bro.
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This page was created 2002/04/28 and last revised 2020/01/26.
Please send comments or questions about this page to
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