From Seminary to Symbol: The Story of the Hartwick Bell
Hanging in the belfry of Yager Hall is a cast-iron bell that has been part of Hartwick’s history for more than 200 years. The bell’s first formal toll rang out on Dec. 5, 1815, summoning 19 students to classes in the newly constructed seminary building.
The bell’s most dramatic chapter came in 1946, when College President Henry Arnold sent three former seminary students to retrieve it from the abandoned seminary building, which was scheduled for demolition. Attempting to lower the 250-pound bell from four stories up using a rope attached to the building’s chimney, the group instead watched the chimney collapse, sending the bell crashing downward. The bell stopped just short of the president’s Chevrolet coupe parked below. The alumni eventually loaded the bell into the car’s trunk and returned it to campus, where it has remained ever since.
Today, the Hartwick Bell remains one of the College’s enduring symbols. It is traditionally rung only during significant occasions, including the start of convocation and commencement ceremonies. Graduating students receive a small replica of the bell as a reminder of their time on Oyaron Hill and Hartwick’s long-standing history.
A close-up of the bell, which has the inscription “Hartwick Seminary – 1815, J. Hanks. J.G. Knauff Executor” Hanks was the name of the foundry that cast the bell. Knauff became executor of John Christopher Hartwick’s estate after all the founder’s appointed executors passed away. Knauff is credited with establishing the seminary here per Hartwick’s will.
Vacant seminary building with a good view of the tower where the bell originally hung. Photo dated July 15, 1943.
President Arnold with students and the bell in Bresee Hall, 1946.
Two examples from the archives of the small replicas given to graduating students at commencement.
Photos are part of the collection in Hartwick College Paul F. Cooper, Jr. Archives.
