4 Southern Exposure
Winter 2020
I
t was May 1886, and the bright new bel-
fry of the recently nished Holy Infancy
Church impressed the local and out-of-
town crowd assembled for its dedication.
Perched high above South Bethlehem and the
Iron Works, the 2,520 lb. bronze bell would
thereafter toll for weddings and funerals, call
people to Mass, and mark the slow passage of
time with the Angelus thrice each day.
This most handsome bell was cast by the
McShane Bell Company, America’s oldest
bell foundry, then located in Baltimore and
still in operation today.
Now fast-forward . . . while silent now
for many years due to degradation of its
massive wooden and iron supports, Rev.
Andrew Gehringer scaled the steps last
year to inspect the 134 year-old historic bell.
The New Edice, 1886
Designed by Phila. architect Edwin For-
rest Durang, the new Gothic Revival
church measured 67 feet by 147 feet, built
of stone in the Perpendicular Style. Topped
with a cross, the distinctive, centrally
located 196-foot spire was lowered and
modied during WWII.
James Wohlbach headed construc-
tion, John Stewart Allam provided the
church’s carpentry work, and millwork
furnished by Ritter & Beck—all of South
Bethlehem.
Rev. Philip McEnroe ordered the bell for
$550 (worth $14,000 today) from McShane
Bell Foundry, Baltimore, MD. The bell ar-
rived by rail and was installed in the tower
with 95 feet of rope. Archbishop Patrick
John Ryan dedicated the church in 1886.
The Original Edice, 1865
Tradition has dictated that the original site
for Holy Infancy Roman Catholic Church
at E. 4th and Taylor Sts. was donated
by the Moravian Church (see Borough
of South Bethlehem Semi-Centennial,
1915). However, a deed search revealed
the property was sold to “South Bethle-
hem Catholics and Rev. Wood, Bishop
of Philadelphia” by “Joseph McMichael
and Wife,” on Sept. 29, 1863, for $500.
He photographed an interesting inscription
on the bell, marking a forgotten message:
So who were those three donor friends?
Three Protestants, it turns out.
Based on a contemporaneous article in
the Philadelphia Inquirer, the three friends
who donated the bell were the apex of
Iron Works management: William Thur-
ston, then president of the Bethlehem Iron
Works, who had also founded the Chil-
dren’s Home of South Bethlehem after the
1882 smallpox epidemic; John Fritz, Gen-
eral Superintendent and Chief Engineer
of the Bethlehem Iron Works; and Samuel
Adams, Jr., Iron Works executive and
mining expert. The remaining
cost of the church was funded
by parishioners, who donated
one day’s wage every month—
for 4 years.
Another Philadelphia Inquirer
story at Christmas in 1908, told
of a fellow who rang the bell
to free himself from the locked
church: “South Bethlehem, Pa.,
Dec. 24. -- Daniel Grainey at-
tended special services last night, and as he
continued in his pew in an attitude of prayer
as the congregation [walked] out, many re-
marked concerning his devotion. But in re-
ality Grainey was asleep. The janitor failed
to notice him as he closed the edice, and
Grainey slept on well into the night.
When he awoke, he found himself
in total darkness. Groping his way to
the belfry, Grainey tugged at the rope.
As the ringing tones oated out on the
cool night air, a number of the congrega-
tion’s members gathered, some fearing
that the handsome edice was are; oth-
ers thought that their beloved pastor, the
aged Rev. Philip McEnroe, had died.
“Finally, some brave person ventured
into the church and released Grainey.”
Here’s hoping the Grand Old Bell of
Holy Infancy may toll again some day.
by Rosemary C. Bufngton
“Donated to the Church of the
Holy Infancy, South Bethlehem, Pa.,
by three friends of the Pastor and his
people, May 1, 1886”
Rev. Andrew Gehringer inspects
the grand old bell in the Holy
Infancy Church belfry. On close
examination, he discovered the
inscription of the bell’s donors.
The Grand Old Bell at Holy Infancy
South Bethlehem Ethnic Churches
