Professors halted their lectures and bewildered students stopped in their tracks on Wednesday, Sept. 25, when the Linfield carillon bells in Pioneer Hall rang for the first time after years of silence. 

The carillon, which is located in the cupola of the historic Pioneer Hall, was repaired by the Utilities Trade team and will continue to ring every half and full hour between 8 am and 6 pm Monday through Friday, according to the director of Linfield Facilities and Auxiliary Services.

“A variety of issues have plagued the operation of the carillon over the years,” said director Allison Horn. “Multiple repair attempts were unsuccessful.”

Facilities Services made major repairs to the carillon in 2013, even packing up the system and shipping it out of state, but the fixes were short-lived, said Horn.

The bell had been silent since December 2014. Most current students have never heard Winchester chime through the campus until this year.

“I personally feel like it makes Linfield feel like a real, traditional college. It’s a timeless sound,” said senior Olivia Gomez. 

On the Linfield’s World of Wildcats Instagram series that aired Tuesday, host and student Taylor Cole asked random students how they felt about the bell. Student reactions varied from “is it real?” to “ it’s spooky” to “I love it.”

Other students like freshman Emma Sammartino and senior Lauren Frost think the bell ringing every half hour is too much.

“According to alumni, neighbors and long-time employees, the carillon has been a campus tradition for many years,” said Horn. 

The campus has Utilities Trades Manager, Bret Flanders, to thank for his fresh outlook and renewed problem solving approach to repairing the carillon.

Assuming no further troubles arise, the tradition of the Linfield carillon carries on.