Bell tower barber2/29/2024 ![]() A picture from the Morris County Historical Society shows two men sitting in front of the bell. Originally it was a church bell, then intended as an alarm bell. In my research I have found that the story of the bell has morphed a little bit over the years. It was initially known as the McKinley Monument as the cornerstone was laid on the day that the president was buried. Kate Aplington encouraged the school children to raise money for a stone monument to preserve the remains. Campbell as a flower pot until 1901 when Mrs. Vandals (not the Vandals, but some vandals) busted the top off the bell with a sledge hammer. Campbell’s yard, where the Ratliff’s presently reside on Mission Street. In 1881 when President Garfield died the bell rang monotonously for half a day.īy 1884 a new tower was erected and blown over in a wind storm and the bell rolled down the hill into A. We are told by Lalla Brigham in 1921 that the bell was used as an alarm, church and school bell for nearly 40 years. It sat on Belfry Hill until 1866 when a wooden tower was finally erected for it. It turned out much like one of my home projects and didn’t get tended to for some time. It was not put into immediate use once it reached the Grove. It was hauled out across the Santa Fe Road by oxen at an exorbitant rate of $9. Being aware that our town needed an alarm bell he arranged for the purchase and shipment of the bell to Council Grove. Sam Wood was in Lawrence at the time and found out about the bell. The bell was ordered by the church in 1863 but refused when they found a crack in the rim. What is now our Bell Monument on Belfry Hill was first intended for the Plymouth Congregational Church in Lawrence Kansas. One such elaborated story I want to set before you is that of the old bell on the hill. Some are easy to detect, others take a bit more research to come to conclusions. It appears that there are other stories that are completely false, partly false or the story has been elaborated over the years. We have found this quite true in the case of the Old Pioneer Jail. I have often been told by long time residents of this town that some of the history is closer to made up. For some time now I have intended to cover the historic sites in Council Grove, and either prove or disprove the common story that is attached to those sites. I have always made a point to confirm what I can and simply say ‘I don’t know’ when I don’t know. I don’t care to be duped myself and I would not do so to others. I like to be accurate when it comes to relaying history to others.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |