Dozens of stories and tributes emerged
in the aftermath of the horrendous inferno that destroyed the Bevin
Bros. Manufacturing Co. factory beginning Saturday night May 26, 2012 - the last of the nearly 45 bell
manufacturers that operated in East Hampton since 1807. Matt Bevin,
the 6th generation family President, who has become an impassioned
advocate of the company's history and its tie to East Hampton, took
valuable time from his hectic schedule to tour the remnants of the
130 year old factory with me on June 6th and discussed the tedious
process sifting through rubble in hopes of recovering the key
component that could enable Bevin Bros. to be the Phoenix that
rises from the Ashes - the dies and molds of the fabled bells
for which this town identifies itself. Many factors contributed to
the success of the bell industry and with some good old Yankee
ingenuity, a bright future may emerge yet. The growth of the bell
industry can be traced to a myriad of factors, but I believe several
most important. First and foremost, William Barton, the founder and
first bell maker laid the ground work for the industry's future. It
was Barton, in his small foundry just east of his home on the crest
of what is now Barton Hill that took so many of the young men of
Chatham into apprenticeship and taught them the trade and encouraged
them to venture out on their own. Many of the apprentices also
worked in Cairo, New York before coming back to East Hampton. It was
this freely given training and information that ultimately served the
impetus for growth. Among the many apprentices were Barton's sons
Hiram and Hubbard and grandson William E. Barton and two young men,
William and Abner Bevin, who learned the trade and in 1832 with
brother Chauncey, established Bevin Bros. Manufacturing Co.
In the aftermath of the recent fire,
many have recounted the importance the bell industry, and in
particular Bevin Bros., has had on our community. I doubt that
William Barton had any idea how significant and extensive his
teaching would extend, and it is only with the destructive force of
nature, sparked by lighting, that we seem to appreciate it. In 1832
when Bevin Bros. formed, East Hampton would hardly be considered a
suitable location to develop a product or industry that would stretch
to the far corners of the world - but it did. William Barton's
generosity to train the men of Chatham was the first key factor. The
second factor that propelled the industry into national prominence
was the railroad. In the 1860s, tracks were laid for the New York and
Boston Railroad (which went through bankruptcy and was reformed as
the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company) through East
Hampton over the Airline which was dubbed the shortest route between
New York and Boston. The introduction of mass transportation enabled
East Hampton products to be distributed inexpensively throughout the
country and ultimately the world - a fact that did not go unnoticed
locally as other entrepreneurs created sister companies. In 1866, H.
H. Abbe, E. C. Barton, E. G. Cone and A. H. Conklin formed the Gong
Bell Manufacturing Company. Based on a design by Elijah Barton, the
company created revolving chimes in bell toys on wheels. Some of
these toys were among the earliest promoting Disney cartoon
characters such as Mickey Mouse. Bevin Bros. as you may remember,
specialized in sleigh bells from which the town became known as the
"jingle bell town" due to the distinctive sound they
created in the horse drawn carriage era. N. N. Hill Brass Co. became
the first to stamp bells from sheet metal.
The success of the East Hampton bell
industry, which started with limited capital in one or two man shops
or barns, is a microcosm of so many other industries that developed
in America and elsewhere around the world by enterprising
entrepreneurs. Three key components melded small artisans into the
world's largest producers. The first was the education and training
young apprentices from Chatham received from William Barton as they
learned how to blend base metals - iron, tin, silver and nickel -
into alloys that would produce those sweat sounds and chimes from the
forged bells they crafted. The second, the development of rail
service through our community enabled cost effective distribution
throughout our nation. But the third and often overlooked component
for the transformation of small handcrafted bells produced in
charcoal fired foundries to mass production of millions of bells, was
inexpensive energy. For our bell industry that energy source was
water. Still in use at the time of the tragic fire on May 26th,
water power was used to operate the presses and machinery at the
factory. A water turbine powered shaft, pulley and belt system drove
many machines with safe, clean and non-polluting energy. The flow of
water from Lake Pocotopaug powered not only Bevin Bros. but the
other factories along Pocotopaug Creek, and, water power may yet be
part of the salvation of Bevin Bros. and the bell industry in days to
come. Until the early 1960s, mill ponds dotted the landscape as
Pocotopaug Creek tumbled from the lake's outlet and dam near the
American Distilling Plant (our other major industry and the world's
largest produceer of Witch Hazel) through the center of town exiting
our community through the great meadows between Young Street and
Chestnut Hill.
Tranformation to world's largest bell
producer required an inexpensive energy source. The water flowing
from the lake became essential, and with a bit of Yankee ingenuity, a
constant flow or head was maintained. The "Head", defined
as "a body of water kept in reserve at a height; the containing
bank, dam or wall; a mass of water in motion; and the difference in
elevation between two points in a body of fuid," quite simple
explains how water pressure drove the turbines that powered the
machinery that produced bells, bells and more bells. To provide a
constant water flow, retaining ponds, beginning with Bevin's Pond
were created enabling constant flow regardless of weather conditions
as Pocotopaug Creek descended nearly 100 feet from the lake's edge
until exiting town. Although most have been reclaimed over the
years, I remember the mill ponds situated near each factory as
Pocotopaug Creek headed toward the Salmon River. A small pond
remains between Bevin's and the Summit Tread building and a parking
lot now exists in front of Sal Floridia's small engine repair shop
that was once the reservoir for Starr Bros. Mfg. Co. The J. C.
Barton building on Skinner Street was built on the former retaining
pond for N. N. Hill Brass. Others existed as well. Bevin's Pond is
also but a small remnant from my youth. After the disasterous rains
and flooding in June 1982, the State DEP, at the direction of
Governor William O'Neill, performed a complete inventory and
comprehensive evaluation of all dams throughout the State. Owners
were required to upgrade the dams to comply with 100 year storm
standards or dismantle the dam for safety reasons. Because of the
significant cost to reconstruct these private dams which held
retaining ponds, many owners, including Bevin Bros., opted to
dismantle rather than rebuild.
The mill ponds, important storage
reservoirs to maintain a constant water flow year round to power
turbines, have become another vestige of our once prominent bell
industry here in East Hampton. Perhaps when Matt Bevin and Bevin
Bros. Manufacturing Co. rebuild their plant, plans will include
repair and reconstruction of the dam and revival of the once
prominent Bevin Pond. Although a small pond remains, I have visions
as a small boy casting my fishing line into much grander expanse.
Over time, memories fade. I always thought the pond was 10 or 12
feet deep, which one might expect when you see the back side of the
dam, or what remains of it. When it was drained in the mid 1980s, I
was amazed to find the pond never reached a depth of more than 3 or 4
feet. It also occurred to me that until the notoriety of the Bevin
Bros. fire a few weeks back, only a small number of residents
actually knew where the Bevin Bell Factory was and far fewer had
actually ever visited it. Tucked behind the old Summit Thread Mill on
Summit Street and shielded by trees, one would hardly know it existed
or that millions of bells were manufactured there and shipped
throughout the world.. Even when thousands return to East Hampton
for Old Home Days festivities at the Center School grounds, I suspect
few have been aware of the 1880s factory only 500 feet away, nor do
we think about the generous gift by the Bevin family of those very
grounds we tread upon while partaking of hamburgs, cold drinks,
pizza, baked potatoes, a dozen other treats and enjoying the variety
of entertainment organized by the Old Home Days Committee
