For Whom the Bell Tolls Benjamin Sunderlin preserves the art of bellmaking through operating the only traditional bell foundry in America WRITTEN BY
Krista Thomas
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bell that tolls rings of timeless tradition. For centuries, peals demonstrated an immortal effort to give glory to God. Funerals, weddings, and church services employ bells, signalling to humanity an aural expression to contemplate all there is, seen and unseen. However, in Ruther Glen, Virginia, tangible sounds of bells ringing late into the night or early in the morning may not necessarily be directly associated with a church. As the solitary ringer, Benjamin Sunderlin maintains an age-old craft of pitch-perfect carillon and chimes at his foundry. But that’s not all he does.
Sunderlin, along with his wife Kate, operates the only traditional bell foundry in the United States. Since September 2015, their mission has been to rebuild a dying craft of making traditional bells using time-honored European techniques. Sunderlin’s obsession with campanology, or the study of bells, took shape when the fine arts major at the Herron School of Art in Indianapolis fell in love with sculpture. “I really liked the labor and the very involved process of taking a pattern, making a mold, casting the mold, and finishing the project,” Sunderlin said. “A professor encouraged me to seek research opportunities to study at bell foundries. I was AMERI CAN ESSE NCE
