wordy wednesday...carillon {october 26, 2022}

Carillon: a set of stationary bells hung in a tower and sounded by manual or pedal action, or by machinery.

Dayton, OH has the distinction of having the largest carillon in the state of Ohio. The Deeds Carillon, located at Carillon Park, towers at 151 feet and has 57 bells that send melodies over the surrounding area.

Carillon Historical Park owes its existence to the generosity of inventor and industrialist Colonel Edward Andrew Deeds (1874-1960) and Edith Walton Deeds (1869-1947). In the 1930s, while traveling in Bruges, Belgium, Edith, an accomplished musician, found inspiration in magnificent carillon music, and she dreamed of sharing this music with the people of Dayton. Edith’s dream became reality through the construction of Deeds Carillon—her most visible legacy to the community she loved.

It was as if an earthquake rent

The hearth-stones of a continent,

    And made forlorn

    The households born

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;

"There is no peace on earth," I said;

    "For hate is strong,

    And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

    The Wrong shall fail,

    The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

~ Longfellow

Dedicated to Colonel Edward Andrew Deeds