Exhibit - Beaumont Tower
The most iconic symbol of MSU, Beaumont Tower stands within the “Sacred Space” and one campus legend claims that you were not officially a Spartan until you are kissed in the shadows of Beaumont Tower at midnight.
College Hall
Before Beaumont Tower was built, another building stood in its place. The first building built on campus was College Hall, the first building in the country that was dedicated to the scientific education of agriculture and the original classroom for the first students of MSU. This building that would later be part of the official MSU seal, unfortunately, would not stand forever. College Hall’s foundation was terribly built, even including a tree stump that was part of one of the corners. The walls were hollow and built with soft bricks. At one point, M.A.C. was thinking they could revamp College Hall as the new Union building, but when the poor materials were discovered, construction was halted. At 5 o'clock in the evening on August 12, 1918, two walls of College Hall gave way and came crashing down. Later that week, the rest of the building was razed.
During this time, World War I was going on and MSU had military ties. In its place, where the first building dedicated to the science of agriculture once stood was an artillery shed. This upset numerous alumni that an artillery shed was standing on the grounds of such a great building. One such alumnus that took offense to what he saw was John Beaumont.
Construction of Beaumont Tower
John Beaumont was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey on July 20, 1858. He came to Michigan in 1875 and graduated from M.A.C. in 1882. After studying law under private tutors, he was admitted to the bar in Saginaw in 1884. Two years later, he began practicing law in Detroit. This would lead to a prestigious career and senior membership at the firm of Beaumont, Smith, and Harris. He also was a member of the State Board of Agriculture from 1912 to 1921. John married his wife, Alice Lord Burrows, in 1899. They had no children.
After seeing the treatment of the site of College Hall being used to house artillery, something had to be done. At the time, with the collapse of College Hall and two dormitories that caught fire, the college was looking to build new buildings. Plans were being presented to place new buildings inside the Campus Circle. Even back in 1906, the idea of the “Sacred Space” to keep the Campus Circle free of buildings was presented. Once again, that sentiment was pushed forward with a “Save the Circle” campaign and Beaumont presented his idea of a memorial tower to College Hall to replace the artillery shed. The tower would sit on the highest part of the circle and be part of the skyline on North campus. With that plan, the idea to build other buildings in the “Sacred Space” was discarded.
In a small ceremony, the laying of the Beaumont Tower cornerstone was on October 23, 1928. Included in the cornerstone was a statement by John Beaumont and four items he wished to be included. These were the items that were included: The College Annual from 1882, a program of the class day exercise held August 14, 1882, a commencement program from August 15, 1882, and a program of the seventh reunion of the alumni held August 16, 1882. John Beaumont graduated from M.A.C. in 1882, so it's only fitting that he included items from his graduation year.
The construction of Beaumont Tower began in 1928 and was completed in 1929. The tower is 104.67 feet tall at its highest spire. The sculpture on the tower is that of a Sower with an inscription that reads, “Whatsoever a Man Soweth.” The Sower is a dedication to College Hall and the agricultural education that was first taught on campus. The dedication ceremony took place on June 22, 1929. John Beaumont could not attend the dedication due to an illness, so his friend the Honorable William L. Carpenter spoke about the gift on his behalf. Mr. Beaumont would only see his gift one time only and it was during his last visit to campus in 1937. Even though he only saw the tower one time, he did listen to the radio whenever the bells were supposed to be broadcasted.
Beaumont Tower
At the time of dedication, there were only ten bells in the tower, making it just a chime. The tower was originally supported by the Athletic Department with the first carillounneur being Russell Daubert, an athletic trainer and swimming coach. The tower fell under the Athletic Department because it was hoped that the music would help promote MSU spirit in the athletes. Mr. Daubert had such limited training that he was only able to play very simple melodies. It was also quickly discovered that the bells did not have the range to play MSU’s alma mater song. A year later in 1930, three more bells were added to help provide a greater range for the MSU song. In 1935, ten more bells were added which made the instrument no longer a chime but a carillon.
In 1941, the jurisdiction of the tower was passed from the Athletic Department to the MSU School of Music. The music director approached Wendell Westcott to see if he would be the new part time carillonneur, since Westcott was a piano instructor and played the organ for one of the local churches. Wescott accepted the offer and found that he enjoyed playing the carillon. In 1956, Wescott attended the Royal Carillon School in Mechelin, Belgium, to get an advanced degree in the carillon. When he graduated, he received his degree with highest honors, the first person to receive such a degree in the school’s history.
Under Wescott’s direction, he set out to make Beaumont Tower one of the best carillons in the country. Working with the MSU Development Fund, Wescott was able to see the bells grow. In 1950, fourteen bells were added, six bells in 1952, and four bells in 1957. This brought the total number of bells to forty-seven and increased the carillon to four octaves. With all the bells, Wescott could now do a full range of songs.
The Silence and Joyful Resounding of Beaumont Tower
As the years passed, Wescott continued to perform numerous concerts at Beaumont Tower, but the tower was falling into disrepair. Springs were breaking, clappers were flattening out, and cables and beams were starting to rust out. In 1971, the tower was silent for five months because a spring came loose, which would not allow the bells to ring properly.
The longest that the carillon would be silent was from 1987 to 1996, because the bells were disconnected due to the wear and tear of the system. In 1988, a report was submitted to the Provost office with the cost and repairs. With the total cost, repairs would not take place until 1995 because the Provost office wanted to seek private sources to make donations. The Michigan State’s board of trustees approved more than $500,000 to renovate the tower in 1995. $155,000 came from the university discretionary fund, $128,000 combined from the Capital Campaign and from the 1989 class gift, $100,000 from the Akers Trust, and $130,000 from the infrastructure/technology fund.
For the project, numerous things were repaired or replaced. The tower itself was repaired, which included repainting the tower structure, updating the surrounding landscape, and building a handicapped-accessible entrance to the first floor entrance. Along with that, the clock numbers, hands, and clock mechanisms were replaced. Also, two new bells were added, twenty bells were replaced, and the bottom twenty-seven bells were wired for partial automation. All of the bells were removed and reattached in a new order that allows for more space. There are now a total of forty-nine bells, with the bells ranging in weight from fifteen pounds to 2.5 tons. The rededication ceremony of the Beaumont Tower bells took place on May 3, 1996.
Today, the bells play the Westminster Quarters every fifteen minutes during the day and play MSU Shadows daily by use of the automated computer. Check the MSU School of Music website for carillon performances, special tours, and events.
Tower Guard
The only group on campus that holds keys to Beaumont Tower is the Tower Guard. Tower Guard was founded in 1934 by the wife of former MSU president Robert Shaw, May Shaw. It was originally an all-female honor society that was formed as a service oriented organization that would help to serve the needs of the visually impaired students on campus. When the group was originally formed, there were about twenty to twenty-five members, so the meetings were held on the second floor of Beaumont Tower. With roughly eighty members now, the group is too large to meet in the tower. Instead, only the officers will still meet in the historic tower.
Sources Cited
Addison, Brown. 1921. Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes, September 21, 1921, pg. 511. Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections, East Lansing, Michigan.
“College Hall Now Pathetic Pile of Debris,” The M.A.C. Record, Vol. 23 No. 25, August 30, 1918.
Correspondence: Beaumont Tower, 1928, Box 5891, Folder 1, Frank Stewart Kedzie Papers, UA 2.1.8. Michigan State University and Historical Collections, East Lansing, Michigan.
History of Beaumont Tower and the MSU Carillon. College of Music. http://www.music.msu.edu/carillon/history-of-beaumont-tower-and-the-carillon
Kuhn, Madison (1955). Michigan state: The first hundred years, 1855-1955. East Lansing, Mich: Michigan State University Press.
Lautner, Harold (1977). From an oak opening: A record of the development of the campus park of Michigan State University, 1855-1969. Volume I, 1855-1945. East Lansing, Mich.
"Lay Stone for Memorial Tower," Michigan State News, Vol. 21 No. 9, October 26, 1928.
"Memorial Given for College Hall Site," M.A.C. Record, August 1928, Vol.33 No. 12, Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections, East Lansing, Michigan.
"Memorial Tower Chimes on Way from England," Michigan State News, Vol. 21 No. 36, February 26, 1929.
“Memorial Tower Dedicatory Program Impressive,” M.A.C. Record, July 1929, Vol. 34 No. 11, Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections, East Lansing, Michigan.
Michigan State University. Information Files. Beaumont Tower/Carillon. Michigan State University Archives & Historical Collections, East Lansing, Michigan.
Michigan State University. Information Files. Buildings. College Hall. Michigan State University Archives & Historical Collections, East Lansing, Michigan.
Rededication of the Beaumont Tower Bells, 3 May 1996, Box 5396, Folder 25, Lana Dart Papers, UA 17.263, Michigan State University Archives & Historical Collections, East Lansing, Michigan.
Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities. https://www.rcpd.msu.edu/programs/towerguard.
Speech for Dedication of Beaumont Tower, 22 June 1929, Box 2, Folder 6, William L. Carpenter Papers, UA 10.3.411, Michigan State University Archives & Historical Collections, East Lansing, Michigan.
Thomas, David (2008). Michigan state college: John Hannah and the creation of a world university, 1926-1969. East Lansing, Mich: Michigan State University Press.
"Tower to Mark Site of Old College Hall," M.A.C. Record, Vol. 34 No. 2, October 1928, Michigan State University and Historical Collections, East Lansing, Michigan.
Tower Guard. https://www.msu.edu/~towergrd/.
University Carilloneurs. School of Music. http://www.music.msu.edu/carillon/university-carilloneurs
Exhibit written by Jennie Russell, November 2015; updated May 2018
Related Objects
 A view of the road leading up to College Hall, date unknown Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  |  |
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 |  Beaumont Tower Dedication Program; June 22, 1929 June 22, 1929 Text: pdf MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  |
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 Bell being hoisted into Beaumont Tower; January 6, 1959 January 6, 1959 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  Bell being hoisted out of a train; January 6, 1959 January 6, 1959 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  |
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 |  Copy of the Beaumont Tower dedication letter, 1929 October 19, 1929 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  Dedication of Beaumont Tower; June 22, 1929 June 22, 1929 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |
 Dedication of Beaumont Tower; June 22, 1929 June 22, 1929 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  Family Parting in front of Beaumont Tower, 1950s Date: 1950-1959 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  |
 |  Inspection of a bell; January 6, 1959 January 6, 1959 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  |
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 Letter from John Beaumont about the Beaumont Tower Cornerstone, 1928 October 20, 1928 Text: pdf MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  |  |
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 Rededication Ceremony of Beaumont Tower, 1996 May 3, 1996 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  Rededication Program of Beaumont Tower; May 3, 1996 May 3, 1996 Text: pdf MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  |
 The M.A.C. Record; vol.23, no.35; August 30, 1918 August 30, 1918 Text: pdf MSU Archives and Historical Collections, MSU Libraries |  The M.A.C. Record; vol.33, no.12; August 1928 August 1928 Text: pdf MSU Archives and Historical Collections, MSU Libraries |  The M.A.C. Record; vol.34, no.02; October 1928 October 1928 Text: pdf MSU Archives and Historical Collections, MSU Libraries |
 The M.A.C. Record; vol.34, no.05; January 1929 January 1929 Text: pdf MSU Archives and Historical Collections, MSU Libraries |  The M.A.C. Record; vol.34, no.11; July 1929 July 1929 Text: pdf MSU Archives and Historical Collections, MSU Libraries |  The view of Beaumont Tower through an archway, date unknown Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |
 |  Tower Guard May Morning Sing collage, 1988 May 6, 1988 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  |
 |  |  Transcript of Addresses Delivered at Dedication of Beaumont Tower; June 22, 1929 June 22, 1929 Image: pdf MSU Archives and Historical Collections |
 Ture Johnson in uniform infront of Beaumont Tower, circa 1935 Date: 1930-1939 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  View of Beaumont Tower from the Botanical Gardens, date unknown Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  Wendell Wescott inspecting a Beaumont Tower bell, January 6, 1959 January 6, 1959 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |
