UNC Charlotte’s historic old bell restored to its original glory
UNC Charlotte’s Old Bell has been returned after being refurbished by Bethel Miscellaneous Steel, a local steel fabrication shop in Midland, North Carolina.
The Old Bell was originally manufactured in the 1920s or 1930s and was used to announce the start and end of the school day at the old Elizabeth Elementary School. It was then given to Charlotte College in 1963 to be rung on ceremonial occasions including March 2, 1965, when Charlotte College became the fourth branch of the University of North Carolina System, and at commencement ceremonies.
The bell was dubbed the “Victory Bell” because students began ringing the bell after athletic victories and in celebration of important campus events once it was installed in the center of campus.
About 100 years after its creation, UNC Charlotte’s “Victory Bell” was due for a restoration.
After years of exposure to the elements, the bell was showing significant signs of stress and wear. All the paint was cracked, rust covered the inside of the bell and the locks on the caster wheels had been broken off.
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Weighing an estimated 1,000 pounds, UNC Charlotte’s Facilities Management team brought the bell to Billy and Josh Joyner at Bethel Miscellaneous Steel, where they worked on it a little more than two weeks.
When the bell arrived at Bethel Miscellaneous Steel, workers made a surprising discovery.
At some point, a makeshift fix was used on the bell to replace the original clapper—the swinging pendulum inside the bell that strikes the inner walls to make the ringing sound. This clapper was made using a tie rod from a car with a receiver ball hitch welded to the end. This was functional but undersized, so an actual bell clapper was purchased to fit the bell. It is unclear when this substitute clapper was added, but no repairs have been made to the bell in at least 40 years.
The refurbishing process began with disassembling the entire bell, including its mounting points and support structure, sandblasting down to the bare metal and then repainting it to match its original colors. Finally, all the caster wheels and wheel locks were replaced, along with the mounting hardware, all of the pivot points were regreased and everything was reassembled.
The bell is now displayed indoors at the Barnhardt Student Activity Center, and the newly refurbished bell will be rung at the August 2026 summer commencement ceremony.
Written by: Gigi Roy
Photos courtesy of the UNC Charlotte archives