Phoenixville Installs Historic Church Street School Bell In Reeves Park

PHOENIXVILLE, PA — Phoenixville officials dedicated the historic Church Street school bell during a special ceremony last week led by Mayor Urscheler.

The bell will now remain prominently displayed in Reeves Park as a testament to borough history.

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The bell was first cast in 1859 for what was at the time a brand new school. After the bell developed a crack, it was donated to to the Phoenixville Fire Department's Phoenix Hose, Hook & Ladder Co.

According to Ryan Conroy of the Historical Society of the Phoenixville Area and Phoenixville fire historian David B. Meadows, the bell was routinely rung in the late 19th century to announce fires and to celebrate holidays and major events.

On midnight of July 4th, 1874, the bell was tolled for a full hour beginning at midnight, Conroy and Meadows said.

The bell has been mounted in the fire station since, though a larger bell without a crack was purchased to replace its tolling functions a few years later.