Billy Nethercote looks at the downtown Bath clocktower that keeps him up at night. Jason Claffey/The Times Record
When Billy Nethercote moved into his apartment in downtown Bath in April, he was charmed by the historic clocktower across the street at First Baptist Church. Since 1855, the clocktower’s bell has rung every hour: once at 1 p.m., twice at 2 p.m., three times at 3 p.m., and so on. Its booming chime can be heard miles away.
When Nethercote slept in his new apartment for the first time, he realized the bell indeed goes off every single hour, including through the middle of the night. No one had told him.
“It’s very hard to sleep,” said Nethercote, who has resorted to earplugs. “You got nine bells at 9 p.m., 10 at 10 p.m., 11 at 11 p.m. The midnight one is brutal because it’s 12 chimes. It wakes you up.”
He said his request is simple: silence the bell overnight. He and several of his neighbors brought their concerns to the City Council, which is studying the issue since the clocktower is owned by the city.
Many in the city, including First Baptist Church officials, think the clock and its bell should keep operating as it has for 168 years.
“It shows there’s life here,” said Dave Pecci, the church’s head trustee. “It’s important.”
Billy Nethercote said no one told him about the downtown Bath clock bell when he moved in across the street. Jason Claffey / The Times Record
It’s also rarely correct and needs to be adjusted every week; Pecci said that’s part of the charm.
“It’s never on time,” he said from atop the 70-foot tower, with the clock about 4 1/2 minutes slow.
The four-sided clock has about 20-foot black faces, with gold-colored time markings. It was built by Boston-based clockmakers Edward Howard and David Potter Davis, whose names are etched in the clock’s original gear system. The 1,500-pound brass bell was built by Clinton H. Meneely of the Bell Company in Troy, New York. His name and the phrase “One Faith, One Baptism” are etched on the bell. Everything is original except for an electric winding device that means that job no longer needs to be done by hand.
“Having that bell silenced at any time takes away from the history of this town,” said Andy Crone, pastor of First Baptist Church. “You learn from your history. You don’t want to lose it. That’s why they have Bath Heritage Days, to remember the importance of this town.”
Dave Pecci, head trustee at the First Parish Church, stands next to the 1,500-pound brass bell. Jason Claffey/The Times Record
Crone said he has talked to dozens of neighbors who like the bell the way it is.
Pecci said the way the gear-and-pulley system rings the bell reminds him of something out of Willy Wonka’s candy factory.
“There’s fans going and arms going and wheels turning,” he said. “It’s been going for nearly 200 years. … We don’t see any reason it should be changed.”
Nethercote said he understands the importance of history, but the noise has become a daily quality-of-life issue.
“We did a lot of things 150 years ago that we don’t do now,” he said, adding that sleeping with earplugs could pose a safety issue for him and his girlfriend if there’s a fire alarm or break-in. He said they love Bath but wouldn’t have moved so close to the clock if they knew about the bell. They signed a two-year lease.
Nethercote recently used an iPhone app to measure the bell’s decibel level at night; it was 92 dB, which he equates to a train horn.
Bath’s downtown clock was built by Boston-based clockmakers Edward Howard and David Potter Davis. Jason Claffey/The Times Record
In 2013, the owner of the Kismet Inn on Summer Street nearby and other residents complained about the bell to the City Council, which weighed making changes but ultimately decided to keep it running as is due to its historic value.
One of the inn guests wrote this online review: ” … my mom’s sleep was disrupted by the town’s bell tower, which rang on the hour, all night long. I found it quaint, but my mom found it difficult to return to sleep after so many interruptions.”
Pecci said the issue comes up periodically when new residents move in and don’t appreciate “old-world charm.”
City Council Chairperson Mary Ellen Bell, who lives a few miles from the clock, regularly hears the bell.
“I can only imagine what it sounds like to people right under it,” she said. “We’re trying to creatively think of a way to balance the historic nature of the bell and the people who live right underneath it so they can sleep at night. … We have to find that middle ground that can serve the most citizens.”
Bath’s downtown clock was installed in 1855. Jason Claffey/The Times Record
Linda Balzer, of Freeport-based Balzer Family Clock Works, has worked on clocks across the globe and said Bath’s is one of a kind.
“There’s a lot of historical value in these timepieces,” Balzer said. “Maine people are very into preservation. We’re an old state.”
Balzer’s company overhauled the clock in 2012. She said to silence the bell, the entire clock would need to be removed and brought to her shop, where a new mechanism would need to be installed. The process would cost thousands of dollars and take months to complete.
“It’s not easy,” she said.
Over the years, she said newcomers to Bath eventually get used to the bell.
“It’s like a grandfather clock in your house,” she said.
Nethercote said he hasn’t gotten used to the bell, even after months.
“We just can’t,” he said.
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