East Hampton remembers Bevin Bells

EAST HAMPTON, Conn. (WTNH) -- A shell of a building that has housed 180 years of history is all that is left. The Bevin Bell Factory was one of a kind, because the world's economy has reduced it to the only bell manufacturing company in the country.

“A lot of dreams and a lot of history there, and it's all gone” said Matt Bevin, owner of Bevin Bells.

“What will you do? ” asked News 8’s Marc Robbins.  “Will you try and rebuild here or somewhere else?”  

“The easy answer would be yes, but it's not simple," Belvin replied. "There's a lot that goes into things and things might dictate otherwise."

You can see the pain in Bevin's face and hear it in his voice, and the sadness is shared by many in the community.

“Would you like him to rebuild?”  “Absolutely”, said Arthur Thomas, an East Hampton resident. “Maybe they can do it more modern."

The company has 26 employees. Their lives are now as damaged, if not more so than the factory building itself.  “That's what kills me the most,” said Bevin.

The townspeople will be coming to the site, looking and remembering what this place has meant to the town, a proud group of East Hampton's national identity.

“We are BellTown USA," Thomas said. "We are in the History books."

The gates remain open, but can they remain that way.  Bevin is already going through the decision making process in his mind.