Baltimore's Son of "Big Sam" to Mark His 125th Anniversary

Joshua Regester (1816-1906)
"Big Sam's" Creator

   In the Summer of 1875 Baltimore's City Hall was being built and nearing completion.  Joshua Regester, who was born of Welsh immigrants on the Eastern Shore, apprenticed as a bell maker, and established Joshua Regester & Sons Bell Founders and Brass Finishers in 1856, was busy casting (only a half block away at the present day location of 53 and 55 North Holliday Street location) brass plumbing materials and a 6,500 pound bell in preparation for the grand building's dedication on October 26, 1875.  It was a prestigious undertaking, one of his firm's largest creations costing the city $2,590, and as he stood to admire it upon removing the bell from its mold determined to name it "Big Sam" in honor of his uncle Samuel W. Regester (who would later become Baltimore's Fire Commissioner from 1876 to 1883).  Joshua Regester & Sons was well known and its company's bells were placed across the country including the Naval Academy in Annapolis (1886), North Carolina State University (Withers Hall), and St. Dominic's Cathedral in Washington D.C - all made with every intention of lasting forever.

Advertisement of 1873

    City Hall's Big Sam, managed under the auspices of the Fire Department and operated by electricity, principally served as the city's primary fire alarm but dutifully sounded the passing hour throughout each and every day to passersby since set upon its commanding post that fall day in 1875.  On December 28th that year, Mayor Latrobe directed that the grand new bell would lead every other bell of the Fire Department to celebrate a new century in the life of our Republic by ringing at midnight on the evening of December 31, 1875 and every half hour until morning as it was to be illuminated high atop the City Hall dome - this would be its second curtain call of sorts.  According to The Sun reports, for reasons undetermined, while every church and fire alarm bell pealed in jubilation, Big Sam would however miss his first chance to speak out on such a New Year's occasion - and this would be an omen to come.  It performed its function well otherwise stepping up to the New Years celebration of 1876 and the following years to come.

   For 14 years, Big Sam solemnly and respectfully tolling for the passing of many of its notable citizens and national dignitaries like that of General Ulysses S. Grant on 24 July 1885 when it tolled for a full hour upon his death and again during his funeral.  As these events transpired, they were reported in newspapers as also being acknowledged by Big Sam.  He went on to summons firemen to duty, mark the passing hours, mourn deaths, and joyfully ring until May 1889 when suddenly, according to Baltimore Sun reports, its silence would become oppressive - something was terribly wrong with Big Sam.  His missed voice was the talk of the town for three weeks and it bugged the heck out of Mayor Ferdinand C. Latrobe who was determined to find the cause and solution to Sam's muted condition. A fissure crack was deemed the problem and the Mayor secretly agreed to take up the offer of a Mechanicstown, MD contractor by the name of K. Kappes along with two assistants (city firemen) to attempt a fix by cementing the crack on June 27th.  At first, they deemed their experiment a success having clanged Big Sam for five clear sounding strikes, but at the sixth an awful tone reappeared.  Upon further examination, a new crack of 18 inches appeared to have marked the death of Big Sam who had given its last ring.

Henry McShane & Co
Advertisement of 1878

   The Board of Fire Commissioners was authorized by the Baltimore City Council to seek bids for a Big Sam's successor and since Samuel Regester was still a member his nephew could not bid. According to the Baltimore Herald, the McShane & Co., who's founder Henry McShane (born in 1830, Dundalk, Ireland) had just passed away in February at 58, was the only bid received bid on July 10th.  City Council No. 149 Resolution "appropriating $2,943 for a new bell in the belfry of the City Hall" was adopted allowing the new bell to be cast on August 24th, 1889, removed from its mold two days later, and weighed in at 7,403 pounds (nearly 1,000 pounds heavier than its former) in the presence of the Mayor and other city dignitaries four days later.  McShayne & Co Foundry (then at 147-161 North Street, at the current location of the Baltimore Sun headquarters on Guilford Avenue) molded it with the name of "Lord Baltimore" alongside of "F.C. Latrobe, Mayor"

Henry McShane (1830-1889)
Lord Baltimore's Creator

   A few days prior, McShane & Co. made preparations to remove Big Sam from his lofty position according to Sun newspaper accounts by first removing the beautiful stained glass forming the ceiling of the City Hall rotunda, part of the floor of the landing above where the clock works rested, and taking down the 60 foot staircase leading to the cupola.  Through a rigging attached to the roof of the belfry, fourteen hundred feet of 1 and 1/2 inch rope passing through six pulleys, he was lowered to the ground on the 27th of August and taken to the foundry in a large three-horse wagon.  Despite persistent rumors, no part of Big Sam's materials went into the making of Lord Baltimore, nor any other bell after it was smashed to smithereens.  The original striker remained and Lord Baltimore was first heard early on the morning of September 9, 1889 at 6 o'clock.

   Lord Baltimore performed admirably for nearly 8 years but, given the striking machinery began to frequently break, it often was mute for periods of up to a year at a time.  He also suffered a bit of an identity crisis as indicated by reports in The Sun on June 6, 1900 when a City Councilman introduced an interesting resolution:

"Whereas the city of Baltimore some years ago decided to erect a monument to be of everlasting beauty and be one of the places of interest to the citizens of Baltimore and its visitors, and did erect the building known as the City Hall; That said City Hall was erected at a very large expense; that a large and magnificent dome was placed in the center of said City Hall, towering above the surrounding buildings and country and upon which were placed four clocks, so that the citizens to the north, east, south, and west might see the time of the day or night, and upon the top of said dome was placed a large bell, formerly known as "Lord Baltimore," and latterly as "Big Sam" is still there; That "Big Sam" for some reason fails or refuses to announce the hours of the days and nights to the citizens of Baltimore who patiently pay there taxes year by year to hear such announcement, therefore, be it
Resolved.  That the Committee on Ways and Means on City Property of this Council be required to look into this matter and to see that "Big Sam" strikes; that is, strikes the hours and nothing less."

Hattie Howard Brown, Poet
(1883-1976)

   Appropriation in the amount of $1,400 was made to fix the striker mechanics and Lord Baltimore was able to ring in the new century by December 1900.  A poem was written by Hattie Howard of Baltimore in 1904, entitled "The Bell(e) Of Baltimore" as an ode to "Big Sam (Lord Baltimore."

   The Sun reported on August 5, 1917 of "Big Sam's (Lord Baltimore's)" 12 booming strokes signaling the end of the Maryland National Guard when it was rebirthed as the 2nd Brigade, 29th Army Division of the National Guard of the U.S.  He then led celebrations at the occasion of Baltimore City's 200th anniversary as a city on September 12, 1929, and again on April 6, 1933 when he announced the end to prohibition.  He tolled in sad tribute for President Warren G. Harding's death in 1923, however since then, Lord Baltimore has rarely performed for such momentous occasions.  Perhaps the Mayor of Baltimore or the City Council will find it justly appropriate to let Lord Baltimore joyously sound 125 rings on August 24th of 2014 as we all celebrate his birth.

(Note: Newspaper articles referenced are courtesy of: The Baltimore Sun and Baltimore Morning Herald)