Behind the Scene
USI Students Help Repair Old Courthouse Bell
By Kaylee (Johnson) Sima '20 M'22
THERE'S SOMETHING MAGICAL about the ring of the Vanderburgh County Old Courthouse bell. Whether it signals the start of your morning commute or reminds you to pause for lunch downtown, its familiar sound is a distinct and timeless echo of Evansville.
But after roughly four decades of use, the drop hammer that strikes the bell broke off its base in May 2025, leaving the Old Courthouse temporarily silent. Soon after, staff at the Old Courthouse reached out to the USI Center for Applied Research (CAR) with one question: could they help bring the bell back to life? Their answer? No doubt.
The original manufacturers provided a replacement striker; however, the new striker didn't quite match the bell's dimensions. That's where USI students stepped in, adapting the striker and restoring the bell's iconic ring.
1.
The original 100-pound striker stopped working after approximately 7 million strikes. In 1985, it was rebuilt by William Leth, former lab technician in the USI Art Department, and Keith Benedict '87, mechanical engineering, M'99 industrial management, who later served as an instructor in mechanical engineering technology at USI. The University presented the renovated striker to the City of Evansville on December 24, 1985, and a plaque honoring their work is mounted on the bell's wooden base.
3.
USI students Mason Eickhoff '26 (center), manufacturing engineering technology; Evalynn Voyles '28 (right), manufacturing engineering technology; Reinard Stanislaus '28, mechanical engineering; and Ethan Payne '28, mechanical engineering, helped develop, test and install the adapted striker. Under the guidance of Steven Stump '99 M'09 (left), Director of the Center for Applied Research, the team spent a collective 40 hours on the project.
5.
The first bell strike after months of quiet happened at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, nearly 40 years after USI presented the first renovated striker. The bell rang on its first try with no issues.
2.
Starting in 2024, CAR provided ongoing maintenance to preserve the bell's functionality and extend its lifespan. This included rotating the bell to reduce wear and rebuilding the striker's shelf. CAR worked with local alumnus, Andrew Craney '22, owner of Wood Slab King in Evansville, to source a slab of red oak for the project.
4.
The strike of the bell is controlled in the "clock room," one story above the bell chamber. The striker is cocked into position by a drive pole, and from there, the bell chimes over the city of Evansville every half hour.
