Clemons Tower Bell House
Introduction
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The original bell and clock workings from the campus’ Clock Tower are presented in this structure. Glenville State College’s Clock Tower has been the most distinguished physical feature of the institution for generations. The college’s nickname, the Lighthouse on the Hill, originated from the local community’s perception of this landmark, and the first pictorial history also took the title. The clock workings were removed in 2010 and preserved in a historical fashion on campus at this location, known as the Clemons Tower Bell House.
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Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
During the construction of Glenville State College's Goodwin Hall in 2010, the opportunity arose to have the extremely heavy bell and clock workings removed from the Administration Building's Clock Tower and displayed in a dedicated building on campus. Over the years, the clock’s keepers included George Firestone, Duffy Bush, and Els Roy Clemens, and the Classified Staff Council elected to dedicate this new structure in honor of Els Roy Clemens. This structure is located between Goodwin Hall and the Mollohan Campus Community Center.
The bell was uniquely made with the embossed names of the state’s Board
of Regent members, the name of the school’s principal, and the date of its
origination, 1899. Of interest, the Principal’s name was W. J. Holden, but the
bell has the name J. W. Holden on it. No information regarding the reason for
this has been found, and it is believed that this may have been a mistake by
the maker of the bell that could not be fixed without recreating the entire
item.