Since 1826, there have been two Meneely Founderies, based on either side of the Hudson River in New York state. The first Meneely bell foundry was established in 1826 in West Troy (now Watervliet), New York, by Andrew Meneely, a former apprentice in the foundry of Benjamin Hanks. Two of Andrew's sons continued to operate the foundry after his death, and it remained a family operation until its closure. The two foundries competed vigorously (and sometimes bitterly) with each other. Together, they produced about 65,000 bells before they both closed in 1952.