University of Mary Washington Then & Now

The Bell Tower was built in 2007 from the donations of John Chappell, a friend of President William M. Anderson. Also known as the Carmen Culpeper Chappell Centennial Campanile, the tower is the tallest structure on campus, measuring 88 feet tall. The money was donated in the memory of his wife Carmen Culpeper, who was a graduate of Mary Washington. ¹ A small garden is located at the base of the tower with a garden and fountain dedicated to her class, the class of 1959.² The tower was a symbolic and sentimental project as it was constructed in the last year of President Anderson’s career at UMW. As part of the graduation procession, the class of ’07 walked out through the arches of the Bell Tower. Before the beginning of the following fall semester, the incoming freshman class walked through the arches of the structure, symbolizing new beginnings.³

Bell Tower 2007 Bell Tower, 2007, Battlefield Yearbook 2007, 46. University of Mary Washington

Bell Tower, 2014 Jessica Reingold, Bell Tower, February 19,2014, Personal Collection of Jessica Reingold, University of Mary Washington