The Bell Comes Down

In case you didn't see these on one of my other sites here are the pictures of Brechbill and Helman taking the bell out of the firehouse. The bell was cast by Henry McShane in Baltimore in 1884 and was raised into the bell tower of the Council House on April 1, 1884. The Council House was torn down and replaced by the Municipal Building in 1928. The bell had a new home, o\ne it would occupy for the next 84 years. In that time the Borough offices moved out and eventually the Police Department moved out. The bell was rung by pulling ropes through a series of pulleys which directed the them down into the engine bay. The clanger only swung in a back and forth motion to ring, the bell itself remained stationary. So you would pull the one rope and ring it against the back of the bell, pull the other rope and ring it against the front. On its final ring on the morning of 9-11-11 it took the fellas a minute or two to get the rhythm down. The bell, in it's day, rang out to alert the volunteers of an emergency or to call them to meeting. Since the house siren came into use the bell only rang out it's toll during passing funerals of fellow fireman. The bell will be restored and get placed on display in the new firehouse when it is finished next spring.