BATON ROUGE – An unfamiliar sound radiated through the city's historic Garden District community Tuesday morning: the toll of bells.

On a Facebook page for people who live in the neighborhood, chatter started when the sound of bells startled people. “ Sounds like something out of back to the future,” someone commented. “Every thirty minutes,” wrote another complete with a frustrated emoji – a graphic image people use to share images of feelings as they post.

The bells, it appear, are coming from St. Joseph's Academy. The school's bell tower started chiming Monday. The tower was struck by lightning in July 2016. The loud speaker system was repaired and reactivated Tuesday.

The bells will chime from the speakers inside the tower every thirty minutes from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. At noon, a special tone will sound.

People thought they heard “Happy Birthday” Tuesday. The city of Baton Rouge was celebrating its birthday Tuesday.

The bell tower sits atop the roof of the two-story Mother Alice Hall on Kleinert. The building, built in 1965, was originally the Sisters' residence and home of orphans in their care. The building was renovated for classrooms in 2009.

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