East Hampton, Connecticut was once “Belltown USA” — home to more than twenty bell companies.
Now there’s just one: Bevin Bells, the last bell manufacturer in the entire United States.
“There's been a tremendous change in the industry over the years since Bevin Bells first began in the early 1800s,” said Cici Bevin, the sixth generation of the family to run the company. “People were traveling by sleigh, and wagon and bells were a critical safety device.”
The founder, William Bevin, learned the art of bell-making as an indentured servant in the 1800s. He and his three brothers started the company in the 1830s.
As society's needs evolved, bell manufacturing evolved. Now, they make everything from Salvation Army bells to school bells to cowbells.
“Most cows don't wear cowbells anymore,” B

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