In all parts of the globe, there are spectacular places. Most people call them the seven wonders of the world or beautiful destinations. Here in Mineral Wells, there is a small slice of heaven with a breathtaking view and a sound that makes your ears ring the First United Methodist Church’s bell tower.
The FUMC has been a part of Mineral Wells for over a hundred and forty years. However, the town’s beautiful tower didn’t grow from the ground. The church started its permanent construction in 1947. Once the fellowship hall was complete, there was only one way to go– up. The building’s architecture was designed to replicate the same style as The Baker Hotel, especially its tower. The Baker Family and the Jaeger family were large members of the community and the church itself.
It was meant to be a beacon for the whole city to hear and see. The tower was built with the same large tan bricks meant to withstand the test of time. It also had the Spanish roof tiles that would help keep the citadel’s beauty intact. The total construction of the building, including the tower, took close to ten years to finish. During those ten years, the church had to host all church activities within their small chapel to ensure no structure interference. This made it exceptionally difficult during the summers because there was no air conditioning at this point. Though it took ten years, putting the year close to 1956, it was finished right on time. Pastor Douglas states, “The Golden Age of Mineral Wells is when it was completed. But more specifically, the kind of bell tower.”
The tower itself is significantly tall and intended to complement the Baker. To give an idea of how high the tower actually stands from the ground, to reach the top, one must first travel up three stories of stairs, then go through the attic, and lastly, you must scale a ladder close to thirty feet up the inner walls of the bell tower. It sounds terrifying, but the view from the top is worth it. An individual can see the entire city.
Though the bell tower is not as inspiring as it once was. The bell tower at the top used to be an alluring steel bell. However, over time for several reasons, the church decided to hang the original bell in the church’s courtyard for the public to see and ring up close whenever they like.
That leaves an interesting question; what’s running the bell tower now? Now the bell is powered by huge horns at the top of the landing. Douglas tells us, “a little set of chimes, and there’s a flip-out keyboard in the organ. And up until it broke recently, the organist could turn a key to turn that little flip-out keyboard on and play chimes both in the sanctuary, and it would go up through the bell tower.” In 2016, the bell tower could not be used due to an electrical issue and was unable to work. However, several locals, such as A.D. Garrett, pitched in to have the tower fixed. The issue was that the old carillon system had broken, but the amp that controlled the giant horns were fine. Instead of replacing the carillon, the group plugged in the amp to an Ihome Ipod player dock. A fun clue about the new bell tower being plugged into an iPod is, “So, what’s interesting is because essentially it is just a big speaker system, you can play anything you want over an iPhone, but we don’t do that.” -Pastor Douglas
Though the bell tower is not made from its original bell and is currently run on a modern iPod, it does not take away from its majesty. It’s still a beautiful piece of Mineral Wells that has stood without blunder for over fifty years. Today, the bell still rings every quarter of the hour without fail. It is a delightful sound that can be heard all through downtown Mineral Wells, and the view from the top is simply magnificent.
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Writer | I graduated from Weatherford College with an Associates in Art, focusing on history, creative writings, sociology, and humanities. Experience in child development, client care, and runs local Spoken Word Poetry group for young teens.
