Every Liberty Bell replica
About

About

{reading time: < 1 minute}

My name is Thomas Gallo Campbell and I love the Liberty Bell.

56 Comments

  1. Hi Tom, I’ve been taking photos of the Liberty Bell since 2006. So far I have shot 53 of the replicas plus the original in Philly. I hope to find the one in Kansas and also hope the one in Annecy still exists. Anyway when in Topeka the capitol was being remodeled and I could only find a replica of the American Legion Liberty Bell which of course is not the 1950 Bell. I can’t find any info on the web. Do you have any info to share as to it’s location? If so would greatly appreciate it.
    Thanks, [email protected]
    Also here’s a link to my Bells: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobindrums

    1. Robert,
      Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I don’t check the site as often as I should. A while back, there was a page on the Liberty Bell Museum’s site that listed the location of all the replicas, but the page is no longer up. Your page seems to be the most comprehensive list out there. I’ve got some catching up to do! We did see a new replica at a Constitution museum in SD and apparently you can buy your own: http://christophpaccard.com/liberty-bell-replica-2/. I’ll do some updates to my site, link out to yours, and keep you posted. Thanks for the great shots!

    2. Brett DeVore

      Bob,

      I don’t know if you have this information on the KS bell. It is still in storage. It is need of a new yoke and they have not been able to raise the funds to properly do it. The one in Annecy does exist as I came back yesterday from a trip with my Dad and we saw it. It was an amazing adventure!! My Dad only has KS left to see!

      Hope that helps.

      Brett

      1. Tom Campbell

        Brett,
        Thanks for your comment. I’d love to hear your family’s story and see some photos. I do know the Kansas bell is in storage and keeping a number of people from completing their list. Hopefully enough folks can rally and compel the state to make restoring the bell a priority.

  2. Tom Campbell

    George,
    I totally support your efforts and I’d love to help in any way. Have you contacted your local representative? As a Mass citizen, you may be able to get their ear. You may also consider contacting local / Boston press.

  3. Judy Parker

    I have a snapshot of the replica that toured Arkansas in 1950. One of my parents took it on Main Street in Stuttgart, AR. It is now on the Arkansas State Capitol grounds. I would be happy to share it with you.

  4. Grace

    Tom, it seems as though you’ve lost your steam in seeing all the Liberty Bell replicas. I hope everything is good with you. I want to see you with all of them! I, too, would like to see the Massachusetts Liberty Bell replica if it is ever made open to the public. Please let me know!

    1. Tom Campbell

      Grace, It looks like George Warren is working hard to make the Mass bell more accessible. Lend your voice to him and help get it done!
      Oh, and I do have a new bell to add soon…

  5. GEORGE

    Tom, Grace , Dan and others I have some good news about making Massachusetts Liberty Bell replica #8 ACCESSIBLE to general public and out of state visitors. October 31, 2017 there is going to be a PUBLIC HEARING at the Massachusetts State house, 1 PM, room 437.
    We have HOUSE BILL NO. 1776 : An Act establishing a liberty bell feasibility study to relocate Liberty Bell Replica #8. Open to public – mark your calendar 10/31/17. Look up website: https://malegislature.gov/.

  6. George

    Good news, at the Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon St., Boston we have a HOUSE BILL NO. 1776; Public Hearing Date : October 31,’17 in room 437. Bill 1776 is: Bill to establishing a liberty bell feasibility study; to relocate Liberty Bell Replica #8.

  7. Karen

    We love the Liberty Bell, too! We have even traveled to Annecy and visited the foundry and climbed the bell tower to see and hear the bell in the church. We’re planning a 2018 road trip to ‘capture’ the bells in Iowa, Wisconsin, North and South Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Minnesota. Yes, it’s Bell or Bust. Last year we traveled to Alaska only to find the bell in hiding. Good luck!

  8. George

    Up date on latest occurrence, reference to Massachusetts Liberty Bell Replica #8 and House Bill … No.1776. This coming Tuesday, October 31, 2017 there is going to be a Public Hearing to move Bell #8 to talk about Bell that is inaccessible to people of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and out-of-State visitors. Have a good feeling Bell #8 is going to be moved to side entrance of MA State House.
    it’s the right thing to do. George

  9. Roz Sippel

    Robert, My daughter and I have also been traveling the country to see the liberty bells. We also make sure to get photos of the state capitol buildings.
    We just completed the 8 western states, covering over 5000 miles because we fit in my 50th class reunion, sisters and friends along the route. She isn’t eager to go on my next trip, and it is a big one, but I am planning it, which is half the fun, and saving as much money as possible sinse it will cover 19 states in the middle of the country. Plans do change but wish me luck.

  10. George

    As of Friday, January 12, 2018 (1:28 PM) Massachusetts Liberty Bell Replica #8 is still located in the same OBSCURE place, but a plan is in place (phase one to move Bell to a off-site location to clean Bell and fix any parts for handling Bell safely to location on side of Massachusetts State House (Ashburton Park).
    We have a House Bill… No. 1776 that is in a committee to study and hopefully pass Bill to Ways and Means. I am hopeful Bill 1776 will come out of these committees, soon.
    Note: If you want to see my Television Show about Bell *8 look up “www.nctv.us” then click to Videos on Demand, November 30, 2017.

  11. George Barker

    Came across your site while researching the Liberty Bell replica locations. With your love of the bells, you might find it interesting that our group, Team Strange, does annual, cross-country scavenger hunts (we call Grand Tours) and the Liberty Bells are on the list this year. We are challenged to visit up to 10 bells for points. We love long distance riding, so if they allowed it, I’m sure some riders would visit 15, 20 or more bells. Thanks for the website. It’s nice to see what they look like so I’ll know I’m in the right place.

    1. Tom Campbell

      George, That’s cool. Thanks for sharing. That sounds like a lot of fun. Are you requiring the bells visited to be part of the series of 55 Treasury bells? If not, there are a lot more replicas out there. Also, some are more accessible than others. Some, like the bels in DC and Boston, are accessible only by scheduling a tour or sweet-talking a security guard. Others are inside Capitol buildings that have business hours. I’d love to see photos from your participants if you’d like to share. I’d love to write an article on the hunt. All 55 replicas have serial numbers, and I’m finding they are not all consistent with the numbers listed on this site (I got that list from the Liberty Bell Museum in Allentown). I’m working to confirm/revise the list based on personal visits and supplied photos. If your folks photographed the serial numbers, it would help with my quest to make the list more accurate and to prove which bells they visited. Have fun, and please keep me posted.

    1. Tom Campbell

      Daniel, Thanks for the good words and for sharing. I did recently learn about the Disney bell. Apparently, it was the 300th replica cast from the molds made in 1950 by the Paccard foundry in France. Some of the info in the Disney post is not accurate. The bell was not cast using the mold used to make the original Liberty Bell. That was cast by Whitechapel in London. The Paccard bells were made using precise measurements of the original. Also, the weight is 2080 pounds, not 2.5 tons. I have not yet seen this one, but look forward to it.

    1. Tom Campbell

      Bruce, Thanks. I have read about the Portland bell(s) recently. I’m working on a database of all the replicas produced. There are a lot of them. I hope to get that published soon. I think I’ll write about the Portland bells next.

  12. Kristian Hultgren

    Hi Tom

    I love your website and I’m reaching out to you to see if you can help me… I have visited two of the local Liberty Bell replicas to me (AZ & CA) and both are unable to Ring. I just called Utah and it is indoors so I doubt they’re going to let me ring that thing . Would you have any good recording’s of any of the replicas with just one big resounding ring out? Thank you so much for any help . :]

    1. Tom Campbell

      Kristian, thanks for the good words. I think most of the bells are silenced, as they are really loud and fun to ring. I did get to ring the North Carolina bell last month and it was a blast. They seem to encourage it there. You may also ring the PA replica at the Liberty Bell museum in Allentown if you ask nicely. In both cases you can’t really ring at full volume, as the NC bell does not swing and the PA bell is indoors. I think I’ll add a “can you ring it” column to my bell list. Happy hunting!

  13. G. Warren

    As of Dec. 22, 2018 Massachusetts Liberty Bell replica #8 is Stuck in Ways and Means Committee (Bill 1776) and Bill 1776 has to Reintroduced; Bill had two years (January 2017-December 2018) and going to be given another two years.
    Hope some day to see Bell #8 moved ; right now MSH Bell is in same OBSCURE place.

  14. Hi Tom! This is a great site. It really helped me understand the breadth of the 1950 savings bond program’s reach. I am working on a guidebook to the SC state house grounds and enjoyed your take on the subject. One thing to note, though: our liberty bell has moved! It was first located on the other side of the state house (in front of the east wing of the building) when it was installed in 1950, but moved in 1972-73 when the state house grounds were expanded to the south. Thought you’d be interested to know! Many of our monuments were reshuffled in the 1969-73 period as part of the expansion.

    1. Tom Campbell

      Lydia, Thanks for the good words. Glad you enjoy the site. Thanks for the details, I’ve updated the story. If you have any stories or photos about the bell’s move, I’d love to see them. Good luck on the guidebook, I’d love to read it.

  15. Rick Brock

    Tom,

    We’ve updated serial numbers on the Facebook page. Also posted a pic of an attachment to a letter from the Montana Historical Society from someone writing to state governments to verify Bell placement and serial numbers. I have only updated our list with numbers we have personally verified.

  16. Rick Brock

    Hi fellow bellers,
    My wife Lana and I recently completed visits to all the Treasury Dept. replicas in the States. Still have not been to the Caribbean for the territories yet. So that’s the Original plus 52 replicas. Visit our Facebook page, The Brock’s Liberty Bell Replica page, for photos and details on how to find each bell. We also have pictures that family and friends have sent us of the Virgin Islands and Tokyo bells!

  17. Tom, what a wonderful page! I wrote a book about A group of teens who decide to steal the Liberty Bell some 100 years in the future. (In the sequel, the replicas come into the discussion.) If you’d like to read it, I’d be happy to send you a copy, no obligation, just to enjoy.

  18. Susan Baxter

    Hi Tom Campbell! What a treasure trove of information this site was to discover as I was researching the history of the Arizona Liberty Bell. Thank you for your dedication to this history!

    In one of the articles from Nov 2017 (“Phil Tovrea’s Replica Liberty Bell”) related to Arizona’s bell history, there is a reference to the original Liberty Bell (the one that cracked) being cast by Whitechapel in London which I’ve found confirmed by numerous sources. The replacement bell, however, that still hangs & rings in Independence Hall in Philadelphia (PA) today was cast by the Meneely Bell Foundry of Troy, NY, not Paccard of Annercy, France as indicated in the article. I am a Meneely direct descendent and this bell was well documented in the family history. The Meneely family has quite a portfolio of impressive bells and their locations.

    In looking at the comments of others, it is amazing to see how many others of us share an interest in the topic of Liberty Bells for a variety of personal reasons.

    May Freedom Ring! Thank you again!

    1. Tom Campbell

      Susan,

      Thanks for the good words and for reaching out. I love hearing from fellow bell hunters. The article I quoted was written when the real Liberty Bell was in Independence Hall, and incorrectly stated the bell was cast by Paccard. I included a footnote pointing that out. I don’t have any info about a replica currently at Independence Hall. I would love any info you have about the bell and any other Meneely replicas. I know of five replicas cast by Meneeley. The bell that Hitler stole is, perhaps the most fascinating story I’ve come across in my research. Cheers!

  19. Tom Campbell

    George,

    Thanks for the update. I applaud your efforts to make your bell more accessible. More bells are inaccessible now than at any time. We just spent three days in Madison but could not see the bell because the Capitol is closed. Bell number 8 is in Montana. All other numbers you mention jibe with what I have. Numbers with an asterisk here have been confirmed to be the correct serial number through photos I or other bell hunters have taken. The Brock family has done a great job of documenting the numbers.

    As for what numbers belong to what state, I see no rhyme or reason in how they were distributed. I think they arrived in one or more shipments at the Brooklyn Naval Yard and as each state’s driver came to pick them up, they just grabbed a bell and returned home. The original list I got from the Liberty Bell Museum in Allentown (the same list I think many Capitols have) contained some errors that have since been corrected by Bell hunters. The bells yet to be confirmed are DC (the missing one), TX, AK, IN, FL, MI, ID, NJ, AR, MS, PA and France. The numbers are in different, more conspicuous places on some bells — making them harder to ID.

  20. Rick Brock

    Tom, I’ve made an Excel spreadsheet for the serial numbers. We can confirm Texas is 1; pretty sure Alaska is 2, though the crown is completely painted black so this can’t be completely confirmed; pretty sure PA is 4..we are visiting the Museum in a couple weeks and hope to confirm; we have photographic confirmation that NJ is 24, AR is 27, and MS is 33; the list we got from the Montana Historical Society has IN as 10, FL as 12, MI as 19, but nothing for ID; process of elimination makes the DC bell 28. This leaves 56 and 57 for France and Japan. I can send it to you if you give me your e-mail.

    1. Tom Campbell

      Rick,

      Thanks. Yes, please send the spreadsheet to [email protected]. I appreciate it. How’d you get confirmation on the Texas bell? I think that number is on the crown as well and I could not see anything, even with a scope. I did just get a photo from IN confirming #10. Do you mind if I publish photos from your site? I’d link to your page and not use any photos with people.

      We recently drove from MN to CT and saw the IL and OH bell, but missed WI because the Capitol is closed and missed IN because we got delayed and ended up passing through on a day the museum was closed. We did get to Highground in WI which has a Paccard bell you can ring. That’s the first time we’ve been able to tug on a rope and ring it loud. It’s a ton of fun. I highly recommend it!

      Cheers,

      Tom

  21. Kevin Hagan

    Tom,

    Apologies if this is somewhere else on the site, but where are the numbers for each bell located, and are they stamped, engraved, embossed? A friend told me that Virginia’s replica is located at a cemetery here in Virginia Beach (vs Charlottesville) and there’s certainly one that looks like it. I’d be curious to know if it’s the missing DC bell which would be a pretty cool story. Or, if not, just what the story is behind it.

    All the best,
    Kevin

    1. Tom Campbell

      Kevin,
      Thanks for the tip. I have some articles on the bell in the Princess Anne Memorial Park in Virginia Beach from 1976. As did a number of other cemeteries, they bought the bell, toured the region as part of the Bicentennial celebration, then installed it at the cemetery. The DC bell was in place as late as 1979, so they are different bells, unfortunately. As far as how to tell, your question prompted me to write an article I’ve been meaning to. You can read all about it here.
      Cheers,
      —Tom

      1. Kevin Hagan

        Thanks a ton for the response and really great article, Tom! It would have been cool to have the DC bell mystery solved locally; but, honestly, I think it’s still cool to have a replica tucked away here.

    1. Tom Campbell

      Jean,
      Well, that is just bonkers. I have never heard of that one. My wife’s family lives in Litchfield. We spent half of last year there and will be back later this week. I recognize the house, we pass by all the time. I can’t imagine there are more than two degrees of separation between my in-laws and the current owners. I’d love to check out the bell. I’ll keep you posted and please share any more info you might find. Thanks for the tip. It’s a small world after all.

      1. George Warren, Massachusetts)

        Im am happy with what we have accomplished (June 18, 2023) for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in reference to the Massachusetts Liberty Bell replica #30. Hoping that Bell #30 is going to be placed in Ashburton Park on November 1, 2023, at the State House Boston MA.
        GEORGE WARREN

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.