Finger Lakes history · regional story
Developing historyCornell’s bells before the tower
The bells came before their familiar tower. Cornell’s history follows them through two earlier settings.
Research status
This history is still developing.
Parts of this account remain unresolved. Here is what the sources support, what is uncertain, and what we are looking for next.
About this review. Written and source-checked with AI assistance under an owner-authorized editorial process. This is not a personal review by Riley or an independent historian. Sources and unresolved questions are listed below; corrections are welcome.
- What the records establish
- The institution’s account gives three settings: a stand near ground level, McGraw Hall, and the library tower. The instrument and the building did not arrive together.
- What remains uncertain
- This short history relies on Cornell’s retrospective account. We have not checked moving invoices, bell specifications or construction drawings, and we are not adopting the story that ringing made McGraw Hall shake.
- What we are researching next
- Locate the 1873 and 1891 installation records and compare early photographs with the plans. A dated bell inventory could show which physical bells moved and which were later replaced or recast.
The bells were already part of Cornell before there was a library tower to hold them. The university’s chimes history describes nine bells, given by Jennie McGraw, sounding at the 1868 opening from a ground-level stand. About: The Cornell Chimes.
They moved to McGraw Hall in 1873. Another move followed in 1891, when the library and its tower were completed. Cornell identifies local architect William Henry Miller as the designer of both buildings. About: The Cornell Chimes.
Sources
- About: The Cornell Chimes — Cornell Chimes; Not stated. Locator: The Cornell Chimes opening paragraph;McGraw Tower/Tower History first two paragraphs. Accessed October 22, 2026.