Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Bell |
Catalog Number |
1950.34a |
Maker |
Paccard Fonderie |
Date |
1950 |
Material(s) |
Bronze/Wood/Iron/Steel |
Dimensions |
H-85 W-65.5 D-50 Dia-48 inches |
Description |
This is a replica of the Liberty Bell made in 1950 as a part of a savings bond drive. The bell weighs approximately 2,080 pounds and is cast of copper and iron. The inscription on the surface reads: "Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants there of Lev. XXV X/By Order of the ASSEMBLY of the Province of PENSYLVANIA for the State House in Philada/Pass and Stow/Philada/MDCCLIII" *note that the name Pennsylvania is spelled with one N on the bell. The bell has a crack painted on the surface in black paint to represent the crack in the actual Liberty Bell. The bell is suspended from a wooden beam. The mount is made of steel that has been painted black and is attached to a wooden platform. Part B and C (in separate records) are plaques related to the bell. |
Notes |
In 1950, the United States Department of the Treasury selected the Paccard Foundry in Annecy-le-Vieux, France, to cast full-sized replicas of the Liberty Bell. The first bells arrived in New York on April 17, the eve of the 175th anniversary of the midnight ride of Paul Revere. Each state received a replica of the bell to coincide with a nation-wide Independence Savings Bond Drive. The drive utilized the Liberty Bell as an emblem along with the slogan, "Save for Your Independence: Buy U.S. Savings Bonds!" The savings bond drive ran from May 15 to July 4, 1950, and Kentucky was tasked with buying $8,190,000 in Series E government bonds. During the drive, the Liberty Bell replica made a 1,800-mile tour of the Commonwealth. Mounted on a specifically decorated Ford Series, F-5 truck, John E. Rainbolt, a driver for Huber and Huber Motor Express Company in Louisville, was chosen to transport the bell because of his long safety record. The tour began in Frankfort on May 24. Piecing the path of the bell together by newspaper records, the bell is known to have stopped in Louisville, Carrollton, Covington, Falmouth, Cynthiana, Lexington, Richmond, Winchester, Mt. Sterling, Carlisle, Maysville, Louisa, Prestonsbrug, Pikeville, Hazard, Corbin, London, Somerset, Danville, Glasgow, Bowling Green, Russellville, Elkton, Hopkinsville, Cadiz, Murray, Mayfield, Clinton, Wickliffe, Paducah, Marion, Princeton, Madisonville, Morganfield, Henderson, Owensboro, and Central City. The ceremonies at each stop almost always included remarks and a ceremonial ringing, and sometimes music followed. The tour concluded on July 4, 1950, in Bardstown at the rededication of the My Old Kentucky Home site. Accompanied by the 38th Reconnaissance Company from Fort Knox, Miss Bess Clements, the governor's daughter, rang the bell at the ceremony. Lieutenant Governor Lawrence Wetherby accepted the bell on behalf of the Commonwealth. Given to the care of the Kentucky Historical Society, the bell went on display at the Old State Capitol Building. In 1975, KHS loaned the bell to the Kentucky National Guard while work was being done on the Old State Capitol Building and grounds. Fitted with a replacement yoke and mounted on a two and half ton truck, the Liberty Bell replica once again toured the Commonwealth. Used extensively to visit school children across the state, the bell was also seen at fairs, parades, and other official Guard appearances such as the annual tours of the 202nd Kentucky National Guard Band. When the truck became unusable, the bell found a temporary home on the grounds of the Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort. While there, in 1998, the bell was "refurbished" by the Kentucky National Guard Combined Support Maintenance Shop (see plaque 1950.34c). The specific work completed is unknown at this time. The bell returned to KHS in the early 2000s. Later, it went on display in the Cralle-Day Garden located behind the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History. KHS staff removed the bell from the garden in 2022 due to safety concerns; both the wooden platform and yoke had deteriorated due to time, insect activity, and weather. In 2023, KHS allocated funds to have the bell conserved by the Christoph Paccard Bell Foundry, the same company that oversaw the original castings of the replica bells. |
Media Links |
National Park Service Liberty Bell Center Website |
Collection |
US Treasury Department Collection |
Subjects |
Bells Promotional materials Fundraisers Fund raising Fund raisers |
Physical Holder |
Kentucky Historical Society - KHS |