Everything about The Illinois Freedom Bell totally explained
The
Illinois Freedom Bell is located in
Mount Morris, Illinois, United States, and is the official freedom bell of the U.S. state of
Illinois. The bell was created for a church in
Lake Geneva,
Wisconsin as a replica of the
Liberty Bell in 1862. In 1910, while it was being moved across the frozen
Geneva Lake following a fire at the church, the ice cracked and the bell sank to the bottom of the lake. It was resurfaced in 1960 and the village of Mount Morris acquired it in 1966. The Illinois Freedom Bell is rung during the annual Let Freedom Ring festival, and it can be found beneath a
gazebo on the village square. The bell has been credited with starting an
Independence Day bell-ringing tradition across the United States. The bell was designated the official Illinois Freedom Bell in 1971.
History
Origin
The Illinois Freedom Bell is located in
Mount Morris, Illinois, and was cast as a replica of the Liberty Bell in
1862. The church members then decided to reconstruct the church on the south side of the lake.
In 1966, an article was published about the bell's submersion and resurfacing at Geneva Lake. The people of Mount Morris decided to purchase the bell; a committee was formed and obtained a loan from the
Mount Morris VFW. The group also collected donations from local residents to purchase the bell for
US$500. A plaque was added to the tower on
July 4,
1972 with an inscription from Governor Ogilvie that reads:
Festival
On
February 17,
1963, an issue of
This Week contained an article, "Make Freedom Really Ring", written by two
Connecticut writers, Eric Hatch and Eric Sloane. The first freedom bell was a small 16
inch (40.6
cm) bell. The first national bell-ringing took place on
July 4,
1963; Mount Morris also participated in that ringing. In Mount Morris, the annual event is known as the Let Freedom Ring festival. A year later, in 1974, Richard Blake, a noted
Abraham Lincoln impersonator, appeared at the festival to speak as Lincoln.
The Let Freedom Ring festival has had several instances where it was broadcast nationally.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Illinois Freedom Bell'.
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