Rumsey Village Bell - Rumsey, AB
Posted by: 
T0SHEA
N 51° 50.537 W 112° 50.637
12U E 372972 N 5745104
On the north side of Main Street, midway between First and Second Avenues, is the drop in centre in the little hamlet of Rumsey. In front are a pair of stone cairns.
Waymark Code: WMM65A
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 07/28/2014
Views: 1
Atop one of the cairns is mounted a bell and its carriage. It's not certain from whence came the bell and there is no plaque on the cairn to aid in knowing its heritage and history. We shall assume that it was the bell from Rumsey's first School, known as the Stonepile School, which opened in 1911 with a bell tower above the entrance. By 1920 the school was becoming overcrowded so a new two roomed school was built and opened in 1921. With the construction of a new school in Rumsey, the UFA (United Farmers of Alberta) bought the Stonepile School and an acre of land at the west end of Main Street, and, in 1920 or 1921 moved the school to the new site. It is still at that site but no longer has a bell tower. It's the only building we know of in the hamlet from which the bell may have come.
The bell was cast by the American Bell Foundry Company of Northville Michigan. The company was in business from 1895 or 1899, depending on the source, to approximately 1920 and sold bells under their own name and also through catalogues like Sears and Henry Field Co. They manufactured cast iron church, school and farm bells. In 1920 the company was sold to an Ohio firm and the name changed to Bell Furnace & Manufacturing Company in 1924, after which the manufacture of bells was slowly phased out.
Visit Instructions:As a suggestion for your visit log, please make every effort to supply a brief-to-detailed note about your experience at the Waymark. If possible also include an image that was taken when you visited the Waymark. Images can be of yourself, a personal Waymarking signature item or just one of general interest that would be of value to others. Sharing your experience helps promote Waymarking and provides a dynamic history of your adventures.