Plainville School Bell at Humphrey House - Plainville, Massachusetts
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The Plainville School Bell is displayed on Plainville Historical Commission's front lawn in Plainville, Massachusetts. Humphrey House, its 300-year-old building, formerly a private home and then town library, is also a museum open to the public.
Waymark Code: WM16GFQ
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 07/28/2022
Views: 0
The Plainville School Bell is displayed on the Plainville Historical Commission's front lawn in Plainville, Massachusetts. Humphrey House, its 300-year-old building, formerly a private home and then town library, is also a museum open to the public.
In custody of the Commission from 2021, the century-old cast bronze bell was restored by the town's highway department. Set on a concrete pad, it is mounted to a cast iron yoke painted black with gold lettering - "MENEELY & CO. - WEST TROY, N.Y." - on the outer side of both legs and across the front of its top span. Embossed on one side, it reads:
Meneely & Co., West Troy, N.Y. 1905.
The E. Howard Clock Co.
Boston - New York - Chicago
1905.
From the historical commission's Facebook page:
Originally located in the tower of the Plainville Elementary School/High School (built 1905) on South St. (Now the site of Plainville post office and Foxboro Saving’s bank). When the building was demolished the bell was moved to the sandpits where it would’ve been lost to history - if it wasn’t for some local teens playing a little prank. They remounted the bell and would ring the it on a regular basis around say, Midnight, for weeks. Of course this caught the attention of the local authorities. So the bell was moved to the town park, next to the fire station/town offices/police station. Hoping this would deter the hooligans. Hehe. Nope. They continued to ring it until finally the clapper was removed and the bell was sadly mounted on cement. At some point it was moved by the Plainville Lion’s Club to the Fire/Police Station (circa 1973) on the corner of South St. and Cottage.
Now the bell sits beautifully restored in front of the James Humphrey House, Plainville’s History Museum. Sadly we don’t know where the clapper ended up. But a rubber mallet will ring the bell very nicely! And that has a nice ring to it!
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