Washington’s Bells

Suspended above the streets of our capital, the history of our nation is written in bronze. We're compiling the fascinating histories, oral traditions, and lasting legacies of bells in D.C. If you know about one of Washington's bells, share your story with us!

Robert A. Taft Memorial and Carillon

On a chilly morning in mid-April 1959, a crowd of 5,000 gathered just north of the U.S. Capitol in a shaded grove of stately willow oaks and fluttering Yoshino cherries. With President Dwight D. Eisenhower looking on, former President Herbert Hoover was delivering a poignant eulogy – remarking on a life well lived and a patriot untimely lost. Vice President Richard Nixon, in his role as President of the Senate, stood ready to accept a towering structure to the Capitol grounds.

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The Freedom Bell

Perched in front of the soaring, neoclassical Union Station just north of the U.S. Capitol, in a plaza it shares with the colossal fountain and monument to explorer Christopher Columbus, is a 2:1 scale replica of the Liberty Bell: the Freedom Bell. 

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Georgetown Lutheran Church

The first concept of a Lutheran church along the banks of the Potomac began in the early eighteenth century, when a group of Lutherans from Germany, having settled in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland, migrated to the Potomac Valley. They were enticed by an offer of land from George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore. With them they brought their religion, and a sprinkling of itinerant pastors ministered to these settlers from as early as 1733.

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Washington National Cathedral

Many exemplary structures rise from the skyline when surveying the cityscape of Washington, D.C., but dominating the hills of upper Northwest sits a neo-gothic masterpiece: The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, or more commonly known to you and me, Washington National Cathedral.

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U.S. Coast Guard Cutter SPAR Bell

In 1944, while the major powers fought bitterly along Axis and Allied lines, the United States commissioned a new Iris class vessel from Marine Ironworks and...
Christ Church, Washington Parish

Long after U.S. Presidents Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe found solace in its Sunday services, Christ Church, Washington Parish stands on a little knoll as the...
Silver Coachman Bell

Marjorie Merriweather Post, who ruled haute société for much of the 20th century from her sprawling estates in New York, Washington, and Palm Beach, chose to surround...
Bell from a Dressing Table Set

Atop every grande dame’s dressing table is oft to be found a set of necessaries, those elements of convenience that make her life more effortless and stylish...
Miniature Tsar Bell

Within the sumptuous collections housed at Washington’s famed Hillwood Estate, a small desk bell speaks to grand inspiration and storied lineage. The bell, a...
The Smithsonian Bell

Some of the most striking buildings in the nation’s capital contain the art, history, and collections of the American people. Of these, perhaps none stand out from...
Japanese American Memorial Bell

Hysteria and prejudice gripped nations on all continents during the bleak years of World War II, casting a long and dark shadow across humanity. It was a time when...
Bell of Peace and Harmony

Suspended like a ripe fruit within a hilltop pagoda, tucked into the rolling Virginia landscape, among the rich tapestry of foliage and flower at the Meadowlark...
The Knights’ Tower

From high above the city (329 ft. at the pinnacle), the bells of The Knights' Tower at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception call the...
The Bells of Congress

A stone’s throw from the White House (the Secret Service recommends against that) rises one of Washington's few significant Romanesque Revival buildings on a...
Robert A. Taft Memorial and Carillon

On a chilly morning in mid-April 1959, a crowd of 5,000 gathered just north of the U.S. Capitol in a shaded grove of stately willow oaks and fluttering Yoshino...
The Freedom Bell

Perched in front of the soaring, neoclassical Union Station just north of the U.S. Capitol, in a plaza it shares with the colossal fountain and monument to explorer...
Georgetown Lutheran Church

The first concept of a Lutheran church along the banks of the Potomac began in the early eighteenth century, when a group of Lutherans from Germany, having settled in...
Washington National Cathedral

Many exemplary structures rise from the skyline when surveying the cityscape of Washington, D.C., but dominating the hills of upper Northwest sits a neo-gothic...