Liberty Bell Of the West
Posted by: 
kJfishman
N 37° 55.308 W 089° 54.873
16S E 243811 N 4201145
Liberty Bell of the West - Kaskaskia Island Illinouis
Waymark Code: WMCQFX
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 10/03/2011
Views: 10
Very Historic Bell on Kaskaskia Island Illinouis
"Called the Liberty Bell of the West, the Kaskaskia Bell is older than the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. Kaskaskia was the center of French colonial administration for the Middle Mississippi River Valley during the 18th century and the 650-pound bell was a gift to The Mission of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church and the town's citizens from King Louis XV of France. The bell was cast in La Rochelle, France in 1741 and inscribed with the words: POUR LEGLISE DES ILLINOIS PAR LES SOINS DU ROI D’OUTRE L’EAU (For the Church of the Illinois, by gift of the King across the water). On one side of the bell are the royal lilies of France and the other side features a cross and a pedestal with the fleur de lis. The bell was shipped from France to New Orleans and then pulled up the Mississippi River by ropes on a bateau, arriving in 1743. On July 4, 1778, during the American Revolution, the bell was rung to celebrate the liberation of Kaskaskia from the British by the American forces of George Rogers Clark and his Long Knives." (
visit link)
The bell was knocked off this perch twice by floods in 1973 and 1993. After the second time the crack became larger and the bell can not be rung.
Visiting Hours
Memorial Day Weekend - Labor Day Weekend
Open Daily: 9 am to 4 pm
Off Peak Hours
Wednesday - Sunday: 9 am to 4 pm
Closed on major holidays
Note: The doors will be locked. A button by the door needs to be pressed to open them.
There is no charge to visit the Kaskaskia Bell State Historic Site
Directions: The Kaskaskia Bell is located on Kaskaskia Island, one of only two parts of Illinois that is west of the Mississippi River. To reach the Kaskaskia Bell, take MO-61 to St. Mary, Missouri, located south of Sainte Genevieve to County Road U (near the grain elevator) and follow the signs to Kaskaskia.
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