Hidden History: The Bell of Saint Albans Museum

Hidden on top of Saint Albans Museum is a treasure that once announced the start of the day for generations of students; a bell.  This bell, created by George Holbrook, a former apprentice of Paul Revere, is located in the belfry of our building. While the bell may no longer ring each morning, it still provides lore and interest to museum volunteers and staff alike. Have you seen the rope?

In 1982 after finding the rope to the bell, Museum volunteer Jim Murphy set out on an adventure to find the hidden bell.  In a previously published article, Jim Murphy said:

“I pulled the rope up from downstairs, put it back in place over the wheel and pulled.  The bell swung very easily.  Boy was I proud. I did not swing the yoke hard enough to ring the bell, but reached inside the bell, took hold of the clapper, swung it and hit the side of the bell.  WRONG! When sitting next to a bell of this size, one does not ring the bell unless one has some kind of hearing protection. It was LOUD and clear.”  Jim estimates that the bell weighs 1,000 pounds or more, is 3 ½ feet tall and is 2 feet across, and made of bronze.  

The bell was set into place in 1861, when the building was constructed as the Franklin County Grammar School.  The building was designed by renowned architect Thoman W. Silloway, who is best-known for designing the State Capitol in Montpelier.