Handbells were invented in 17th century England when neighbors of bell towers tired of listening to long change-ringing rehearsals. Handbells permitted the rehearsals to take place in the spirited warmth of pubs. Handbells were first brought to the United States around 1840. They were popularized by P.T. Barnum as a circus attraction. After this, handbell teams went into the Vaudeville circuit.
In the 1940s people began ringing handbells in American churches. Handbells were first manufactured in the United States in the 1960s. Today there are over 10,000 handbell choirs in North America. Approximately 1% of these are community groups such as MACH; the rest are affiliated with churches and schools.