City of Hartford Fire Alarm Bell - Hartford, CT
Posted by: 
chrissyml
N 41° 46.376 W 072° 42.448
18T E 690541 N 4627105
An old fire bell is now on the grounds of the Connecticut Historical Society Museum and Library.
Waymark Code: WM14FGN
Location: Connecticut, United States
Date Posted: 06/28/2021
Views: 1
Text of sign:
"City of Hartford Fire Alarm Bell (1881 - 1921)
Jones & Co. Troy Bell Foundry
Troy, New York, 1881
Cast Bronze
Weight 8,975 lbs.
Diameter 6'6"
Gift of the Board of Fire Commissioners, City of Hartford, 1931.14.0
Following the organization of the Hartford Fire Department in 1864, a central alarm bell equipped with an early call box system was installed to alert firemen across the city to the location of a fire. When this bell cracked in 1881 it was sent to the Jones & Co. foundry for recasting. The recast bell was placed back in service atop the bell tower at fire headquarters on Pearl Street that same year and continued to ring numerical alarm codes. The 4-1/2-ton bell, rung by means of a 100-lb. clapper, was audible across much of the city, no doubt to the chagrin of nearby residents. However, one bonus of the bell was that it provided time checks at noon, 6 PM and 9 PM daily.
In 1921 the bell was retied, a victim of modern telephone alarm systems. Though given to CHS in 1931, the bell was retained by the Hartford Fire Department until, in 1953, a suitable site became available here at this location.
The replacement wood yoke approximates that used on the bell while it was mounted atop the bell tower.
source: the sign; see gallery.
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