For whom the bell tolls

By Sean CW Korsgaard

CP Reporter

Ask not for whom the bell tolls – it tolls for Benjamin Sunderlin.

Sunderlin is the owner and operator of B.A. Sunderlin Bellfoundry, a Ruther Glen based bell foundry that operates a full welding shop, machine shop, rapid prototyping equipment, digital modeling and CAD facilities, wood shop, and foundry on its 11,000 square foot facility. It’s one of the last bellfoundries anywhere in the United States, and the last one in the United States to use traditional methods, something that has earned Sunderlin regional attention and some very important international clientele.

Originally from Lafayette, Indiana, Sunderlin’s interest in campanology, or bell making, began in college, when he studied traditional bell making in the United Kingdom. The son of an engineer, and already with several years of metal working experience under his belt, Sunderlin was fascinated by the craft of bell making, and absorbed himself in learning all he could about traditional techniques like molding in swept-loam, casting practices, design, tuning, and the construction methodologies for frames and fittings.

“I couldn’t escape it,” said Sunderlin. “I became captivated by the craft, and wanted to learn all I could about it.”

His studies to learn different bell making techniques has taken him on trips to the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, and even as far away as Croatia. His most recent trip was to Basse-Normandie to study with French bell maker Virginie Bassetti, noted sculptor who designed the decorations for the new bells of Notre Dame de Paris, a project in which Sunderlin’s own shop is partnered.

Though Sunderlin originally moved to Virginia two years ago so that his wife, Kate, could earn her arts doctorate at Virginia Commonwealth University, he wasted little time setting up an expansive factory in Caroline County, with all the heavy machinery and skilled workers required to make and finish bells.

Sunderlin constructed all of the requisite equipment and tooling necessary to mold and cast a traditionally made bell in the foundry for the first time. Metal for the project was sourced from an early eighteenth-century bell that was originally cast by Thomas Lester in 1728, the bell maker who would later cast the Liberty Bell. The casting of this bell marked the first time that a bell had been made and cast in swept loam and tuned to a five-partial standard in the United States since most of the original foundries closed in the mid-twentieth century.

His most recent client though is what has earned Sunderlin much of his recent attention: he has been contracted by Historic Jamestowne to reconstruct the colony’s bell ahead of Jamestown’s celebration of the 400th anniversary of its red-letter year in 1619.

1619 marks an important year in the history of Jamestown – it was when the first women arrived at the colony, when the first slaves were sold, and when the first representative assembly in the New World was convened. Jamestown is planning several events to mark the occasion, and a big part of it is the recreation of the bell that once rang over Jamestown, the replica of which is being finished at the Caroline County facility.

The bell, which is 16 inches in diameter and about 1½ feet tall, was modeled after just four small pieces that were found during several excavations on site, the earliest one discovered in 1905.

Regarding the project, Sunderlin is on the record saying he is happy to play his part, and for the a chance for people to hear bells ring just as they might have more than 400 years ago.

“They still resonate on a symbolic level and they still draw people to these important places around the globe,” said Sunderlin. “I’m really excited to be able to sort of bring something back.”

When the bells chime over Jamestown in 2019, to the same tune as they did centuries before, it will be because of the sweat and steel of Benjamin Sunderlin.