World Peace Bell
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| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Weight: | 73,381 lb (33,285 kg) |
| Diameter: | 12 feet (3.7 m) |
| Material: | 80% copper, 20% tin |
| Yoke: | 16,512 pounds (7,490 kg) |
| Clapper: | 6,878 pounds (3,120 kg) |
| Location: | Newport, Kentucky, United States |
| Casting Date: | December 11, 1998 |
| Musical note: | A |
The World Peace Bell is located in Newport, Kentucky, and with a weight of 33,285 kg (73,381 lb) and width of 12 feet (3.7 m), is the largest swinging bell in the world. The bell was dedicated on December 31, 1999, and rang for the first time with the dawning of the year 2000.
Initial plans in the summer of 1997 were to cast the bell at a foundry local to Newport, Kentucky. Consideration was given to casting the bell on site by building a foundry where the bell would hang. The plans including the construction of a Millennium Monument, originally conceived as 1,400 foot tower that would open on New Year's Eve, 1999. The bell would hang in this tower. Included in the tower would be a large carillon with many bells, with this one as the largest. Initially the bell was called "the Millennium Bell". Later these plans were scaled back to include a smaller bell tower with a museum, but to include this bell as the largest swinging bell in the world.
The Verdin Company managed the project on the U.S. side on behalf of the Millenium Monument Company[1]. The bell itself was cast at a ship propellor foundry at Nantes, France, under the supervision of Fonderie Paccard, a bell foundry near Annecy, France. The bell was then sent by ship to its final destination.
The bell arrived in New Orleans, and was installed on a barge which was brought up the Mississippi River and then the Ohio River during the summer of 1999. Many stops were made along the rivers for special celebrations, before arrival at Newport, Kentucky. The arrival coincided with Tall Stacks 1999, held on the Ohio River in the Cincinnati-Covington-Newport section of the River. This event was named the nation's Top Tourism Event by the American Bus Association (ABA) in 1999.
The bell was swung for ringing on January 1, 2000 at midnight; struck 12 times and was heard for distances of about 25 miles. The bell is only swung on special occasions.
The striker, which chimes the bell on the hour, was poured in cast iron and was produced at Cast-Fab Technologies, Inc. in Cincinnati, OH. A special iron was produced that would prevent the striker from damaging the bell, since the striker comes in contact with the outside rim of the bell (see right side of photo). By using the striker the bell can be chimed without swinging the large bell. The striker chimes the hours.
The bell tower, the bridge between the museum and bell and most of the other components that make up the Millennium Monument were produced at local companies to the Newport area.
