The Quest to see all 57 Liberty Bell replicas

30 down, 27 to go

Reading Time: < 1 minute The Goal: Visit all of the 1950 Liberty Bell replicas. According to the Liberty Bell Museum: In 1950, the United States Department of the Treasury assisted by several private companies selected Paccard Foundry in Annecy-le-Vieux, France, to cast 57 full-sized replicas of the Liberty Bell. The bells were shipped as gifts to states and territories…

The Disneyland of Death

Reading Time: 8 minutes If you’re just getting into the bible, I recommend you start at the end and work your way back. The book of Revelations is written by John the Baptist, one of the four disciples of Christ — known collectively as the Evangelists — to pen the gospels of the New Testament. Like John the Beatle,…

The gamble

Reading Time: 24 minutes The Mount Vernon Memorial Park Liberty Bell It’s hard to be in the cemetery business without getting your hands dirty every now and then. My name is Foy Eldeen Bryant. I’m 62 years old. It’s March 4, 1975. I’m sitting in front of a slot machine at Caesar’s Palace casino in Las Vegas. Me, I…

Tales from the lawn crypt — the Coon Rapids Liberty Bell

Reading Time: 10 minutes An advertisement designed to look like an editorial runs in the Minneapolis Star throughout 1970. The headline reads: How Morningside Memorial Gardens helped us answer our children’s questions. Pictured is a well-dressed nuclear family: mom, dad, the boy, the girl, and grandma — who looks healthy but will probably die soon. The ad is perfectly…

The Garden of Eternal Liberty

Reading Time: 8 minutes At a recent professional hobnobbing event in Miami, a colleague introduced me to another colleague as the person who hunts down and writes about Liberty Bell replicas. As I’ve learned to do in such situations, I prefaced the conversation that followed by inviting my new acquaintance to tap out at any time. No harm, no…

The Liberty Bell Memorial Museum

Reading Time: 6 minutes If we share our space with all the souls who’ve lived here before us, then Melbourne, Florida is teeming with ghosts — and they’re not all at peace. Dig just under the surface, and you’ll find evidence of the first humans to make their homes here in the late Pleistocene epoch, some 11,000 years ago….

The Disney Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: 9 minutes In 2018, the Team Strange Motorcycle Club staged the Melting Pot Grand Tour, a nationwide scavenger hunt pitting bikers against each other in a friendly competition to visit as many Liberty Bell replicas as possible. The members of Team Strange are not the only Liberty Bell hunters out there. The Brock family recently completed their decades-long…

The Florida Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: 10 minutes Rising 345 feet above sea level with 8,436 miles of coastline and a 15-to-1 human-to-alligator ratio, Florida is a bold peninsula stabbing aggressively at the world beyond. A point of entry and a release valve — it’s America to the extreme. From Citrus to Space Shuttles, hanging chads to Jan Hammer, flamingos to theme parks,…

So much cheese

Reading Time: 7 minutes How a fondue restaurant in Delaware ended up with its very own Liberty Bell. This month at the Melting Pot in Wilmington, Delaware, you can celebrate Choctober-Fest with a four-course meal for $44.95 per person. You’ll start by dipping hunks of bread into bubbling cauldrons of cheese. Next comes salad, which you don’t dip into anything. For…

The Delaware Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: 13 minutes April 26, 1988: I’m in a sophomore math class at Father Judge, an all-boys Catholic High School in Northeast Philadelphia. I sit sideways at my desk, doodling in my notebook and not comprehending algebra. I’m talking to Jon Shookowsky, one of my twin best friends. Together, we’re the rhythm section of Attix, a hard-rock, mostly-cover…

The Dallas Baptist University Liberty Bell

Reading Time: 7 minutes They say everything’s bigger in Texas. So it should come as no surprise that while every state has a Liberty Bell, the Lone Star State has nine. A bank in the aptly named town of Liberty has one. Three can be found in plazas and parks throughout the state. Another five Liberty Bells currently reside…

Portland’s exploding Liberty Bell

Reading Time: 12 minutes Portland, Oregon: It’s the Saturday before the first Thanksgiving of the 1970s, and shit has been blowing up with alarming regularity. Last month, a dynamite bomb at the University of Oregon in Eugene — the first of two bombings on campus this year — caused $50k in damages and, miraculously, no injuries. Ten days ago, state officials…

Good Vibrations — the American Buddhist Liberty Bells

Reading Time: 12 minutes Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 3, 1987: The parade approaches Independence Hall, the birthplace of American liberty, the building on the back of the hundred dollar bill. Two-hundred spunky young roller-skating gymnasts in short shorts, knee pads and striped knee-high athletic socks slow their roll. With expert precision and youthful abandon, they climb on top of each…

It tolls for thee — the Hawaiian Liberty Bell

Reading Time: 12 minutes “Mom, honk the horn!” a 10-year old boy calls out excitedly from the back of the station wagon. His mother ignores him. “Honk the horn, mom!!” the boy repeats, now more animated. His mother continues to ignore him. “Honk the horn, mom!!!” all three kids, who rarely agree on anything, now chant in unison. It’s…

Gone to Carolina | Part 1, South Carolina

Reading Time: 5 minutes Part 1: South Carolina Cracked rear view Oversold We’ve all been there. Your flight is about to board. The gate attendant seems just now to notice it’s oversold. They get on the loudspeaker, and the auction begins. Someone is not getting on this plane—who’s it gonna be? The bidding starts at $200. You look around…

Gone to Carolina | Part 2, North Carolina

Reading Time: 11 minutes Part 2: North Carolina Lessons from the Gay Dolphin There is no straight shot from Columbia to Emerald Isle, so instead, we plan to drive east until we hit the ocean, then follow the coast up to Emerald Isle. Myrtle Beach, here we come. A lesson from the Gay Dolphin Our stop in Myrtle Beach…

That time Hitler stole the Liberty Bell

Reading Time: 9 minutes Cablegram: May 6, 1940, To: Herr Hitler, Berlin “Only accurate replica of the Liberty Bell in Independence Hall, Philadelphia, was donated to Czechoslovakia by Americans when that country became a republic. We understand all bronze articles are being melted down and since we have use for this valuable bell we offer $3,000 if delivered at New York…

Reverend Joseph B. Head, the Liberty Bell Minister

Reading Time: 15 minutes “You have never met a character like me.” Part showmanship, part satisfaction guarantee; this is how the Reverend Joseph B. Head, the Liberty Bell minister, introduces himself. Between 1975 and 1985, Head’s roadshow would bring four different full-size Liberty Bell replicas to over a million children at more than 900 schools in 36 states. It’s…

Annecy Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: 13 minutes This is the unlikely story of how one small French town came to have its very own Liberty Bell On a picturesque hillside, high in the French Alps, Edouard de Reydet carefully follows a centuries-old formula. With the precision of a scientist and the artistry of a chef, he combines local earth, ground to a fine powder…

National Treasury: the case of DC’s missing Liberty Bell

Reading Time: 14 minutes How exactly does a one-ton Liberty Bell replica disappear? Since I launched this site, folks have reached out to me with stories about various Liberty Bell replicas. I’ve heard from other bell hunters, private bell owners and folks trying to solve their own Liberty Bell mysteries. Last year someone sent me a link to a Washington…

The Texas Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: 11 minutes Lyle Lovett’s That’s right (you’re not from Texas) plays as we cross the Brazos River in our rented Nissan. Dawn drifts in and out of sleep while I drive. We’re now squarely in Texas A&M University territory. Aggie country. We’re here to visit a unique, little-known piece of state history — the Texas Liberty Bell…

Nebraska Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: 13 minutes 40,000 Nebraskans converged at 9th and Q in downtown Lincoln to greet the guest of honor on this hot July afternoon. Parents lifted small children over railings just to catch a glimpse. Pickpockets preyed on the distracted throngs. Faces in the crowd were brick red from the heat. Some fainted and had to be carted off…

Phil Tovrea’s Liberty Bell replica: Phoenix Arizona

Reading Time: 6 minutes In my quest to see all 57 Liberty Bell replicas cast in 1950 as part of a U.S. Treasury Department savings bond drive, I’ve learned there are many more full-size, functional Liberty Bell replicas in this world — in locations far and wide— from fondue restaurant in Delaware to a park in Tokyo, to a…

Washington Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: 3 minutes The Washington state Liberty Bell replica is hidden away right in the center of town. Most visitors likely pass over it without noticing. It sits in a lush outdoor plaza on the back side of the beautiful 1911 Union Station building which served as the western terminus of Northern Pacific’s transcontinental railroad. The building now hosts the US…

Illinois Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: 2 minutes Illinois Liberty Bell replica Location: Illinois State Capitol grounds 401 S 2nd Street Springfield, IL 62706 Serial Number: 25 Can I ring it? No. The clapper has been removed and the bell is mounted on a marble slab. Hours: 24/7 (outdoors)

Ohio Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: 2 minutes Ohio Liberty Bell replica Location: The Ohio Statehouse, Museum Gallery 1 Capitol Square Columbus, OH 43215 Serial Number: 43 Can I ring it? No. The clapper has been removed. Hours: Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m Sat. & Sun. 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. The Ohio Liberty Bell replica is in the Museum…

Rhode Island Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute We wrapped up our New England bell tour in Providence, visiting Liberty Bell replica number 37 — our 7th and final bell of the tour. Our first stop in Providence was the 111th Annual Little Picture Show at the Providence Art Club.

Massachusetts Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: 4 minutes We left Augusta in the morning, spent a couple hours wandering Portland and arrived in Boston around 3:00. Dawn was here a year ago to see a client and I was here about 25 years ago, but we’ve never been together. This is the first city on our bell tour where we’ll stay more than…

Maine Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: 2 minutes Leaving Montpelier around 12:30 pm, we powered east through Maine, mainly in the rain. Primarily on back roads, we passed though many small towns, some scary, definitely haunted abandoned lake campgrounds, saw lots of moose crossing signs and no moose. By the time we got to Augusta (4:30), it was dark and raining heavily. We…

Vermont Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: 3 minutes We arrived in Montpelier from Concord around 11:00 am. It was chilly and raining lightly, but otherwise lovely. We parked across from the old Pavilion Hotel, now home to the Governor’s offices and the Vermont State Museum. We climbed the front stairs and met a very nice lady at the entrance to the museum. When she asked if…

New Hampshire Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute We arrived in Concord NH after dark and the Bell is not lit, but I was impressed with the flash on the iPhone 6. Reminds me of NE in the snow. Beautiful town. Looking forward to exploring more tomorrow.

New York Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute The Liberty Bell replica in Albany NY is located inside the State Education Building across the street from the Capitol. You need to schedule a tour to see the bell up close, but some very nice guards let us in and gave us a quick look around. Everyone we met in Albany was exceedingly nice….

Pennsylvania Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute First stop on our Northeast Bell tour, The Liberty Bell museum and shrine in Allentown.

West Virginia Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute West Virginia Liberty Bell replica Location: North grounds (rear) of the West Virginia State Capitol building 1900 Kanawha Boulevard East Charleston, WV 25305 Serial Number: 7 Can I ring it? Yes. Hours: 24/7 (Outdoors)

Wisconsin Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute Wisconsin Liberty Bell replica Location: ** Capitol building temporarily closed to the public ** In the rotunda of the Wisconsin State Capitol Building 2 E Main Street Madison, WI 53703 Serial Number: 29 Can I ring it? No. Clapper has been removed. Hours: Currently inaccessible

Virginia Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute Virginia Liberty Bell replica Location: At the Central Fire Station 203 Ridge Street Charlottesville, VA 22902 Serial Number: 32 Can I ring it? Yes Hours: 24/7 (Outdoors)

U.S. Virgin Islands Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute U.S. Virgin Islands Liberty Bell replica Location: Emancipation Park Tobod Gade . Charlotte Amalie St. Thomas US Virgin Islands 00804 Serial Number: 51 Can I ring it? The bell is in ringable condition, but the clapper is padlocked to the base. Hours: 24/7 (Outdoors)

Puerto Rico Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute Puerto Rico Liberty Bell replica Location: Parque Luis Muiioz Rivera Parque Luis Munoz Rivera San Juan, Puerto Rico 00901 Serial Number: 53 Can I ring it? Unknown. Hours: 24/7 (Outdoors) Photo: Robert English

Oregon Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: 2 minutes Oregon Liberty Bell replica Location: (2021) *On the Oregon Capitol Mall, Wilson Park 900 Court Street Northeast Salem, OR 97310 Serial Number: 16 Can I ring it? Unknown. Hours: Currently inaccessible. More: In Jun of 2020, I was contacted by Bob Repine, who is actively involved in the restoration of the Oregon Liberty Bell replica….

Oklahoma Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute Oklahoma Liberty Bell replica Location: In front of the Oklahoma State Historical Society Building 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive Oklahoma City, OK 73105 Serial Number: 15 Can I ring it? No. The clapper has been removed. Hours: 24/7 (Outdoors)

Montana Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute Montana Liberty Bell replica Location: Montana Historical Society 225 N Roberts Street Helena, MT 59620 Serial Number: 8 Can I ring it? No. The clapper has been removed. Hours: 24/7 (Outdoors)

Mississippi Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: 2 minutes Mississippi Liberty Bell replica Location: South grounds of the Mississippi State Capitol building 400 High Street Jackson, MS 39201 Serial Number: 33 Can I ring it? It’s in ringing condition, whether or not it’s encouraged is a different matter. Hours: 24/7 (Outdoors)

Missouri Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute Missouri Liberty Bell replica Location: On the north side of the Missouri State Capitol grounds, next to the Law Enforcement Memorial 201 W Capitol Avenue Jefferson City, MO 65101 Serial Number: 20 Can I ring it? It’s in ringing condition, whether or not it’s encouraged is a different matter. Hours: 24/7 (Outdoors)

Michigan Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute Michigan Liberty Bell replica Location: Constitution Hall 525 W Allegan Street Lansing, MI 48933 Serial Number: 19 Can I ring it? It’s in ringing condition, but indoors, so you probably shouldn’t. Hours: Public access to the building may be limited due to COVID-19 protocol. Staff is onsite 7 to 5 Monday through Friday. Call 517-896-7614…

Louisiana Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute Louisiana Liberty Bell replica Location: In front of the old Arsenal Museum 900 Capitol Lake Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70802 Serial Number: 39 Can I ring it? Yes Hours: 24/7 (Outdoors)

Kentucky Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: 2 minutes Kentucky Liberty Bell replica Location: Rear garden of the Kentucky History Museum 100 W Broadway Frankfort, KY 40601 Serial Number: 36 Can I ring it? Yes Hours: Museum is open 10 to 5 Tuesday to Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday. Note: The bell is outdoors but within a lockable gated area. It would be best…

Kansas Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute Kansas Liberty Bell replica Location: Permanent on-site storage, lower level of Capitol parking garage 300 W 10th Street Topeka, KS 66612 Serial Number: 21 Can I ring it? No Hours: The Kansas State Capitol is open from 8-5 Monday through Friday, 10 to 4 Saturday, closed Sunday. However, garage hours and access to bell may…

Tokyo Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute Tokyo Liberty Bell replica Location: Hibiya Park, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 1 Hibiyakoen, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 100-0012, Japan Serial Number: 50, 55 or 56 Can I ring it? The bell is ringable for special occasions but mounted too high for the general public to ring. Hours: 24/7 (Outdoors) More Info: Take a video tour of the…

Indiana Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute Indiana Liberty Bell replica Location: Inside the Indiana War Memorial and Museum 51 E Michigan Street Indianapolis, IN 46204 Serial Number: 10 Can I ring it? No. The clapper has been removed. Hours: Open 9–5, Wednesday to Sunday More info: Visit the Indiana War Memorial and Museum for details

Idaho Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute Idaho Liberty Bell replica Location: Front entrance of the Idaho State House 700 W Jefferson Street Boise, ID 83720 Serial Number: 22 Can I ring it? Maybe. The clapper is present. Hours: 24/7 (outdoors)

Georgia Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute Georgia Liberty Bell replica Location: Liberty Plaza, across from the rear of the Georgia State Capitol 206 Washington Street SW Atlanta, GA 30334 Serial Number: 49 Can I ring it? No. Hours: 24/7 (outdoors)

U.S. Treasury Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: 2 minutes U.S. Treasury Liberty Bell replica Location: At the west entrance of the U.S. Treasury Building 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20220 Serial Number: 55 Can I ring it? No. Hours: Currently inaccessible Note: The bell is only accessible as part of a U.S. Treasury Building tour. However, due to COVID-19, the Treasury has canceled…

Arizona Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute Arizona Liberty Bell replica Location: Arizona State Capitol courtyard 1700 W. Washington Street Phoenix, AZ 85007 Serial Number: 14 Can I ring it? No. Hours: 24/7 (outdoors)

Arkansas Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute Arkansas Liberty Bell replica Location: North side of the Arkansas State Capitol grounds 1401 W. Capital Avenue Little Rock, AR 72201 Serial Number: 27 Can I ring it? No. Hours: 24/7 (outdoors)

Alabama Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute Alabama Liberty Bell replica Location: South Capitol grounds, facing Washington Avenue 600 Dexter Avenue Montgomery, AL 36130 Serial Number: 38 Can I ring it? No. The clapper has been removed. Hours: 24/7 (outdoors)

Alaska Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute Alaska Liberty Bell replica Location: Front entrance of the Alaska State Capitol Building 120 E 4th Street Juneau, AK 99801 Serial Number: 2 (most likely) Can I ring it? No. The clapper has been removed. Hours: 24/7 (outdoors)

Fort Collins Mini Liberty Bell

Reading Time: 2 minutes Thanks to an inside connection at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, I was able to visit this adorable little mini Liberty Bell replica. It lives in storage just a block from our office. I passed by countless times, never knowing this little guy was in there all by his lonesome (along with lots…

Independence Hall: Home of the Founding Fathers — Rapid City, SD

Reading Time: 2 minutes En route to our Lake Superior summer vacation, we decided to take the scenic route from from Colorado to Minnesota. On our way from Wall, SD to Mount Rushmore, we were surprised and delighter to find Independence Hall along the highway — conveniently located between Reptile Gardens and Bear County (just like it is in Philadelphia)….

North Dakota Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute I took a slight, 200 mile diversion on a business trip to take in the North Dakota Bell. It resides in Century High School in Bismarck. No, I’m not practicing my mime moves, the Bell is protected behind plexiglass.

Wyoming Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: 2 minutes Update | 01.06.20 | The Wyoming Liberty Bell was removed at some point during the Capitol’s 4-year, $307.8- million-dollar renovation project, set to be substantially completed by January 31, 2020, and fully completed 90-days thereafter. A December visitor to the Capitol heard the state is looking to raise funds to restore the bell, but I…

California Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute Sacramento, CA — Labor Day, Sept. 3, 2012.

Colorado Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: 3 minutes My quest to see all the bells started, accidentally, with the Denver Liberty Bell replica. In 1996 I moved from Philadelphia to Colorado. The following year, I was walking downtown from my apartment in Capitol Hill and decided to cut through the park across from the Capitol building. I came upon a sight as familiar as it was…

Connecticut Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute The Connecticut Liberty Bell is located in the State Capitol building in Hartford, CT. The building is architecturally stunning, filled and topped by large sculptures of the state heroes and heroines. This bell has been adorned with a replica pained cracked. Date of Visit: January 5, 2012 Address: Connecticut State Capitol (inside), 210 Capitol Avenue,…

New Jersey Liberty Bell replica

Reading Time: < 1 minute The New Jersey Liberty Bell can be found in Perth Amboy. The building in the background is the oldest City Hall in continuous use in the United States. It was built during 1714-1717 or 1718, burned in a fire in 1731 and rebuilt again in 1745. It was again burned in 1765 or 1766, and…

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