By Cody Berry 

Did you know that the Angelus Bell and its tower at Benton’s Our Lady of Fatima church were donated in memory of Dr. Gann, Jr? In my research on the Gann Museum and all its contents I came across an article on Our Lady of Fatima’s website called “Our Bell Rings Again!” and it revealed that on January 22, 1961, Agnes Baum Gann donated the bell and tower in memory of the late Dr. Gann, Jr. The bell was cast of the “highest grade bronze” by Petit & Fritsen, a Dutch foundry dating back to 1660.¹ 

The bell itself is 25 inches in diameter and weighs 310 pounds. There’s even a memorial inscription to Dr. Gann, Jr on the 55-foot-tall bell tower. The gift was presented by Agnes Baum Gann’s attorney, Edward L. Wright, that Sunday in 1961. The tower was designed by Joseph Murphy, who was a former Dean of Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis.² 

The Benton Courier announced the new bell tower on January 19, 1961, at that time it was the “only one of its kind in Arkansas,” and the donation was accepted on behalf of the diocese of Little Rock by Bishop Albert L. Fletcher. The pastor at the time was Father Charles McGinnis.³ Father McGinnis said that the bell was made from 80% virgin red copper and 20% virgin tin. It was highly polished and tuned to the note E. The electronic ringing device could be manually controlled by a push button, and it was set to ring three times a day. The bell tower itself was built by Fred Brown, Jr and Robert Oates of the Arkansas Foundry of Little Rock.⁴ 

 I reached out to Our Lady of Fatima and their secretary Wendy Garcia Brown was nice enough to send me some photos of the bell tower and the dedication plaques on it. One of them was placed “in loving memory of my husband,” by Agnes Gann. Another was placed inside the church urging parishioners to pray for the Gann Family. I’ve been trying to find more stories about the Gann’s and their legacy. For more stories about the museum, stay tuned! 

Citations:

¹ Our Lady of Fatima, “Our Bell Rings Again!”, February 2, 2021,  https://olfbenton.org/news/our-bell-rings-again, Date Accessed 12/12/2024. 

² Our Lady of Fatima, “Our Bell Rings Again!”, February 2, 2021,  https://olfbenton.org/news/our-bell-rings-again, Date Accessed 12/12/2024. 

³ “Angelus Bells to Ring in Benton,” Benton Courier, January 19, 1961, p. 1. 

⁴ “Angelus Bells to Ring in Benton,” Benton Courier, January 19, 1961, p. 1