The Liberty Bell - Moorhead, MN - Exact Replicas on Waymarking.com

This is Exact Replica of The Liberty Bell made by Ordean Swenson in 2006 more Minnesota State University Moorhead's annual Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration. MSUM announced in early 2016 that after 43 years it would no longer be hosting its annual Fourth of July celebration.
The bell was then moved to it's current location in the courthouse. There is a sign on the door stating that cell phones are not allowed in the building, but it is OK to bring them in to photograph the bell. Be aware that there is a security check point between the vestibule and the rest of the courthouse that is staffed by deputy sheriffs. You do not need to go through the check point, the bell is to the left of the front doors by the windows.

There is a plaque by the bell that reads;

The Liberty Bell

IN 2006 Ordean Swendon, retired MSUM cabinet maker, crafted a replica of the Liberty Bell to be used as a centerpiece for the university's Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration.

The Fourth of July Committee needed a concept to promote the celebration. Dave Holsen, a facilities supervisor at the university, originally came up with the idea to build the wooden Liberty Bell.

The bell is composed of more than 200 pieces of oak glued together, which were then shaped by a specially build lathe designed by MSUM welder Ray Bjerke. Mr. Bjerke also fashioned the bell's iron stand. MSUM painter Ralph Lemar put the finishing touches on the replica by sanding and later covering it with five coats of clear polyurethane varnish.

The original bell weighed 2,080 pounds when first cast and is made mostly of copper and tin. The MSUM oaken replica, along with its yoke and iron stand, weighs approximately 1,000 pounds and sits on wheels.

The wooden replica is precise to the detail, including the bell's inscription, composed in oak letters and numbers machine routed by MSUM painter Don Hersud:

"Prolaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitante thereof - Lev. XXV. v. x. By order of the Assembly of the Province of Pensylvanis (sic) for the State house in Philada. This quote is a passage from Leviticus, the third book of the Old Testament. The spelling, Pensylvanis, was the accepted version at the time.

As the official bell of the Pennsylvania State House, known today as Independence Hall, it rang often for public announcements, but most notably on July 8, 1776, to announce the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. Today, the Liberty Bell hangs at the Liberty Bell Pavilion in Philadelphia.

Where is original located?: Liberty Bell Pavilion in Philadelphia Where is this replica located?: Clay County Courthouse Who created the original?: Whitechapel Bell Foundry Internet Link about Original: https://www.nps.gov/inde/planyourvisit/libertybellcenter.htm Year Original was Created (approx. ok): 1752 and recast in 1753

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