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U.S. Be s

Celebrates 50 years!

By Dawn Lamoureux-Crocker

Phot s by Dawn Lamoureux-Crocker & courtesy of U.S. Bells

Triple Wind Bell; photo courtesy of U.S.Bells

While traveling coastal Route 1 in scenic Hancock County take the time to travel off the beaten path on Route 186 and visit Watering
Cove Studios, home of U.S. Bells Foundry in Prospect Harbor. This year 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the foundry where owner
Richard Fisher has been keeping alive this vanishing craft of making bells in the sand cast method. U.S. Bells is one of just a small
number of traditional foundries remaining in the United States.

Richard began making his bells using hammered and welded pieces of sheet metal. The result was a quirky, raw bell with a mellow
cowbell tone. He began selling his bells from a pushcart in Copley Square in the early 1970’s. “I never had a plan – one thing led to
another,” Richard said. Realizing the limitations of his original steel bell design, he turned his sights on casting bronze bells that would
allow for a broader range of tones.
After a visit to Maine to see his sister who lives in Lubec, he and his wife purchased the 60-acre property in Prospect Harbor around
1975 and opened their foundry in 1982. When visiting the foundry, visitors are given a glimpse of the production. Glowing molten
bronze reaching temperatures over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit is carefully poured into the sand molds. These molds are designed and
sketched by Richard on a wooden template. Sand is packed in a special mold that the bronze is poured into. Shortly thereafter the
mold is cracked open and reveals a rough model of the bell that will later be polished to perfection.

Talent abounds at Watering Cove Studios for this is a family affair. Son Tim Fisher oversees management of the foundry and creates
unique and beautiful furniture and designs accessories for the bells in his wood shop. Richard’s wife, Cindy, is a talented quilter and
her gorgeous quilts hang in the shop. His daughter-in-law, Liza, is a potter and her amazing wood-fired kiln produces a warm, natural
result drawing on designs from nature. The talent doesn’t stop there. Tim and Liza’s children Ada and Jack help in the summer and
Ada has a line of felted bracelets she sells in the shop.
Left: Pouring molten bronze into sand molds
Photo by Dawn Lamoureux-Crocker

Right: Unfinished bells still attached to the pouring
gates Photo by Dawn Lamoureux-Crocker

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