Town Bell Ringing Once Again After Major Restoration Project

The town bell, perched more than 100 feet above Orange Street inside the steeple of the Unitarian Church, had been silent for more than a year and a half. But no longer.

Following the completion of a major restoration project, including a complete replacement of the massive yoke from which it hangs, the bell tolled once again on Tuesday.

The historic 19th-century bronze bell, which arrived on Nantucket from Portugal in 1812, will once again chime on the hour and fill the streets of downtown Nantucket with its familiar tones.

Steeplejack Zoltan Zuberecz and his son, Zoltan Jr., of the Pennsylvania-based Highclimbers Company, completed the restoration project Tuesday morning and sounded the bell with a few tests.

"It was tricky," Zuberecz said of the unique restoration project. The narrow tower left him and his son with little room to work as they removed the bell hanger and installed the new stainless steel yoke, bearings, and hardware. 

Zuberecz, a mountain climber originally from Hungary, came to the United States in 1987 and began doing smokestack demolitions to earn money to fund his expeditions.

"We came over and we start in Philadelphia, demolishing smokestacks and working with steeples," he said. "And now, not much smokestacks left. So we do more steeples."

Today, Zuberecz and his son work in eight states along the East Coast. But the Nantucket project was certainly unique, he said, primarily because of the bell itself.

The bell of the Unitarian Meeting House, or the South Church, is often referred to as "The Great Portuguese Bell." It is a one-ton bronze bell that was cast in a foundry in Lisbon, Portugal, in the early 19th century. Initially intended for a church in
Braga, Portugal, the bell found its way to Nantucket in 1812 after being discovered by Nantucket sea-captains Thomas Cary and Charles Clasby. During its journey to Nantucket, the bell survived the War of 1812 by being deliberately concealed to prevent capture or destruction.

Though owned by the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House, the bell’s restoration was funded and executed through the collaborative efforts of the South Church Preservation Fund (SCPF) and the Nantucket Community Preservation Committee (CPC). The project was made possible by a $55,000 Community Preservation Act grant, approved at the May 2024 Town Meeting under Article 34, following a grant process initiated in 2023, spearheaded by Christine Sanford.

The 14-month restoration was orchestrated by Chime Master Systems, specialists in
historic bell conservation.

The Unitarian Church board is planning a celebration of the bell restoration in the coming weeks.

"This moment also honors the memory of the late Reverend Ted Anderson, whose attentive care and stewardship of the bell during his tenure as minister of the Meeting House ensured its continued presence and significance in the life of the church and the town," the church said in a statement. Anderson passed away in March 2025. 

The South Church Preservation Fund was created by Libby Oldham and Rev. Anderson in 1982, and exists for the sole purpose of restoring, preserving, and maintaining the Nantucket Unitarian Universalist Meeting House at 11 Orange Street.