The Meneely Bell which is located at Jonesville Cemetery in Clifton Park was donated to the Town of Clifton Park in 2008 by the Charlton Historical Society.

The two-foot high bell was cast in bronze by the Clinton H. Meneely Bell Company in Troy in 1883. It rang at the Grace Episcopal Church in Jonesville until the church was sold in 1968. It was later purchased by the Charlton Historical Society in 1982.

After a formal request from the Jonesville Cemetery Association, the Town Board of Clifton Park placed the bell on permanent display in the Jonesville Cemetery. 

The bell was rung at the 2008 dedication ceremony by then 85-year-old Milton Hatlee, whose family attended the Grace Church for over 50 years before it was sold. Hatlee rang the bell four times, indicating both the 4 p.m. start time for the dedication ceremony as well as the four original founders of the Grace Episcopal Church.

The Hinman Construction Company donated the 10-foot high tower that the bell sits on, and town employees worked with the cemetery association to construct a 4-foot fence around the bell.

According to Town Historian John Scherer, Meneely bells were well known around the world for their excellent sound quality. The Meneely bell at the Jonesville Cemetery weighs 374 pounds and it cost $110 in 1883.

Today, the bell rings automatically each day at 9:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. The bell will also be rung when a funeral procession enters the cemetery grounds for an interment.

Jonesville Cemetery

Please visit the Jonesville Cemetery's website at: http://www.cliftonpark.org/ecommunity/jonesvilleca/index.htm

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