As I’ve mentioned at least 10,000 times before, I was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. Better known as the home of the Wright Brothers, the cash register, the hydraulic jump to prevent flooding, code-breaking machines that helped end World War II, and the eighth wonder of the world, the pop-top.
Yes, Dayton, dear Dayton, my birthplace and childhood home. Occasionally, our parents would take us to the Deeds Carillon Historical Park. We just called it Carillon Park. Now, I always believed it was named for someone called Carroll, or something similar. You see, if you continue to travel south from there, you will not have to go far before you bump into West Carrollton. And, in another direction, you will find Carrol High School. So, my kid brain held on to that assumption all these years.
But once again, I was stopped in my very tracks by the actuality of this.
Let’s get to them one by one.
West Carrollton was originally called Carrollton and was laid out in 1830. They had to change the name because they were receiving a great amount of mail, in error, which was supposed to be going to another city of Carrollton, Ohio. Both were named for Charles Carroll, a representative of Maryland who signed the Declaration of Independence.
Next, is Carroll High School, named for Archbishop John Carroll, a Roman Catholic who served as the first bishop and archbishop in the United States.
And finally, the one we have been waiting for. The Deeds Carillon Historical Park.
It is not named for a person named Carroll at all, idiot Polly. It is named for Colonel Edward Deeds, who was a Dayton industrialist and innovator.
The “carillon” is a thing.
Yes, another great truth was revealed to me.
A carillon is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard.
I found the definition. “The instrument must consist of at least 23 cast bronze bells in fixed suspension. It should be tuned in chromatic order so the bells can be sounded harmoniously together.”
A carillon is often housed in bell towers. Typically they are owned by churches, universities, or municipalities.
Anyone who has been to Carillon Park can plainly see the bell tower, first thing. It is hard to miss. It stands 151 feet tall with 57 bells. It is the largest carillon in all of Ohio.
I just thought it was some old piece of art that someone thought might look neat-o standing there in the big wide open space by the river. Something flood-proof.
The tower was built in 1942 and designed by New York architects Reinhard & Hofmeister, whoever they are. But it is big, and it is noticed. Artsy.
This huge carillon was funded by Edward Deeds’ wife, Edith Walton Deeds, and was designed to honor the Deeds family. Now you know.
When the tower was built, each of 23 bells was inscribed with the name of a Deeds family member. The “silent” bells bear the names of deceased family members. The ringing bells were cast with the names of family members then living. It has been listed on the National Park Service National Register of Historic Places (in 2005).
And just when you thought there couldn’t be anymore. You guessed it. There’s more.
Carillon Park refurbished the carillon in 1988. At some point, it had become an electric keyboard-controlled instrument. Well, they refurbished it back to a traditional, mechanical, baton-keyboard carillon.
And low and behold, the park has a carillonneur. Yes, the guy is Larry Weinstein, and he performs live carillon concerts every Sunday at 3:00 pm from May to October. Thankfully, he can leave his instrument right there at the park.
So, once again, in this world of ours, I have been enlightened by new information. I love when this happens, as discovery is exciting and good. And it progresses us to new levels of understanding. It makes me wonder why so many people in this country would rather hang onto old, untrue notions rather than find the wonders and the truths of the world.
Play the music.
Somebody ring the bell.
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“Far away in the cool dim empty rooms of the big old house, a silver bell tinkled and faded.”
― Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine
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“It is impossible to stop cadence. A bell rings long after the clapper hits the cup.”
― Steven James Taylor, The Dog
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“A bell’s not a bell ’til you ring it, A song’s not a song ’til you sing it.”
— Oscar Hammerstein II
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You can ring my belllll, elll, ell. Ring my bell.
