The Old Triangle - San Marcos, TX
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Raven
N 29° 52.978 W 097° 56.456
14R E 602267 N 3306288
A replica of the "Great Old Bell" on the grounds of the Hays County courthouse in San Marcos, Texas. The 55-pound triangle bell was formerly used to summon firemen to a blaze, then re-purposed to mark the closing of nearby businesses.
Waymark Code: WMWZZG
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 11/06/2017
Views: 3
Every Texas county courthouse square is often adorned with historical plaques, memorials and monuments applicable to the region, and the Hays County Courthouse square in San Marcos is no exception.
This unusual artifact near the northwest corner of the courthouse is a simple -- yet quite large -- 55-pound triangle bell, evoking the times when similar ones were used at farms and ranches to summon folks for supper. It is a replica of the original "Great Old Bell" which used to hang from a nearby tree limb to summon firefighters to a blaze. In 1936, the bell (or "Old Triangle", per its accompanying plaque) was repurposed to signal the 6pm closing time of nearby businesses.
The original bell -- which was discarded as scrap in the late 1950's but fortuitously recovered -- now hangs in San Marcos' central fire station. This exact replica was placed by the San Marcos Historic Preservation Commission in 1991.
Since 2013, the local San Marcos Main Street Association society has re-established the tradition of ringing (or clanging, in this case) the triangle bell at 5pm, however still using 6 (instead of 5) strikes to keep with tradition.
It accompanying marker reads:
"THE OLD TRIANGLE
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, San Marcos firemen were summoned to a blaze by the clanging sound of a huge triangle which hung from a tree limb at the right of this entrance to the Hays County courthouse.
The great (55 pound) triangle was made a local blacksmith from a thick, square, wrought iron bar. After the firemen secured a more conventional bell, David M. Dailey remembers that this "bell" was used to signal the 6:00 P.M. closing of stores on the square. As a boy he observed a man emerge from Mutual Mercantile Store on the corner of Hopkins and Guadalupe Streets, watch in his hand, and stride across the street to strike the "Great Old Bell" six times. Mr. Dailey's family rescued the "Old Bell" from the scrap heap and preserved it for postperity.
SAN MARCOS HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
1991"
Group that erected the marker: San Marcos Historic Preservation Commission
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link]
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
111 E San Antonio St.
San Marcos, TX USA
78666
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