John Brown Bell
Encyclopedia
The John Brown Bell, in Marlborough, Massachusetts
, is a distinguished American Civil War
era bell that is often known as the "second-most important bell in American history" after the Liberty Bell
.
, but since 1892 the John Brown Bell has been in Marlborough, Massachusetts, and currently resides in a special tower built for the bell on Union Common in downtown Marlborough.
In 1859, abolitionist John Brown
led a raid on the Harpers Ferry armory, the second armory built in the U.S. The raid ended when Marines under the command of Lt. Col. Robert E. Lee
stormed the building. Brown and 10 of his men were hanged for murder and treason.
Two years later with the Civil War beginning, a Marlborough unit in the Union Army took the bell from the Harpers Ferry Armory after being ordered to seize anything of value to the U.S. government, lest it fall into the hands of Lee's Confederate army.
Knowing their hook and ladder company in Marlborough needed a bell, the soldiers removed the 700 to 800-pound device and got permission from the War Department to keep it.
, said. "I believe the bell is wired with an alarm, so it can't be surreptitiously taken, like at night." "Oh, they've wanted it back," said Joan Abshire, a member of the Marlborough Historical Society who recently finished a comprehensive study of the bell. "When I went down there (for research), they always said, 'Well, where's the bell?" Gary Brown, Marlborough's city's veterans' agent and a member of the Marlborough Historical Society, has a definite opinion. "The young men from Marlborough saved it from obliteration, so tough noogies," said Gary Brown, chairman of the city's Historical Commission. "Had they not taken the bell, it wouldn't exist. Virtually every bell in the South was melted down for munitions."
On December 15, 2009, the residents of Marlborough, Massachusetts challenged Harpers Ferry to reclaim the John Brown Bell. It is unclear whether or not the residents of Harpers Ferry will attempt to reclaim the bell for themselves, but it is believed the majority of the 35,000 residents of Marlborough are ready to defend the bell.
On Monday, April 19, 2010 (coincidentally Patriot's Day) approximately forty citizens of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
attempted to take the Bell in the early hours of the morning. The bell was safely defended by a team of overnight lookouts, and it is believed that the bell is safe for now.
Marlborough, Massachusetts
Marlborough is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 38,499 at the 2010 census. Marlborough became a prosperous industrial town in the 19th century and made the transition to high technology industry in the late 20th century after the construction of the...
, is a distinguished American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
era bell that is often known as the "second-most important bell in American history" after the Liberty Bell
Liberty Bell
The Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol of American Independence, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formerly placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House , the bell was commissioned from the London firm of Lester and Pack in 1752, and was cast with the lettering "Proclaim LIBERTY...
.
History
At one time the bell was kept in Harpers Ferry, West VirginiaWest Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, but since 1892 the John Brown Bell has been in Marlborough, Massachusetts, and currently resides in a special tower built for the bell on Union Common in downtown Marlborough.
In 1859, abolitionist John Brown
John Brown (abolitionist)
John Brown was an American revolutionary abolitionist, who in the 1850s advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish slavery in the United States. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre during which five men were killed, in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas, and made his name in the...
led a raid on the Harpers Ferry armory, the second armory built in the U.S. The raid ended when Marines under the command of Lt. Col. Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
stormed the building. Brown and 10 of his men were hanged for murder and treason.
Two years later with the Civil War beginning, a Marlborough unit in the Union Army took the bell from the Harpers Ferry Armory after being ordered to seize anything of value to the U.S. government, lest it fall into the hands of Lee's Confederate army.
Knowing their hook and ladder company in Marlborough needed a bell, the soldiers removed the 700 to 800-pound device and got permission from the War Department to keep it.
Controversy over ownership
Over the years, people in Harpers Ferry have tried in vain to have the bell returned to be exhibited in the John Brown Wax Museum or the reconstructed firehouse where John Brown was captured by Col. Robert E. Lee. "In the past, several mayors have tried to have it returned, but basically it's difficult to do. I suppose it requires a lot of energy that, frankly, no one has," James A. Addy, mayor of the Appalachian town of 310 that is about 60 miles from Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, said. "I believe the bell is wired with an alarm, so it can't be surreptitiously taken, like at night." "Oh, they've wanted it back," said Joan Abshire, a member of the Marlborough Historical Society who recently finished a comprehensive study of the bell. "When I went down there (for research), they always said, 'Well, where's the bell?" Gary Brown, Marlborough's city's veterans' agent and a member of the Marlborough Historical Society, has a definite opinion. "The young men from Marlborough saved it from obliteration, so tough noogies," said Gary Brown, chairman of the city's Historical Commission. "Had they not taken the bell, it wouldn't exist. Virtually every bell in the South was melted down for munitions."
On December 15, 2009, the residents of Marlborough, Massachusetts challenged Harpers Ferry to reclaim the John Brown Bell. It is unclear whether or not the residents of Harpers Ferry will attempt to reclaim the bell for themselves, but it is believed the majority of the 35,000 residents of Marlborough are ready to defend the bell.
On Monday, April 19, 2010 (coincidentally Patriot's Day) approximately forty citizens of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. In many books the town is called "Harper's Ferry" with an apostrophe....
attempted to take the Bell in the early hours of the morning. The bell was safely defended by a team of overnight lookouts, and it is believed that the bell is safe for now.
Further reading
- The John Brown Bell: The journey of the second-most important bell in American history, from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, to Marlborough, Massachusetts by Joan Abshire and available through the Marlborough Historical Society. Published 2008.
- 13th Rifle Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers 1910 by Lysander Parker, Post 43, G.A.R.Grand Army of the RepublicThe Grand Army of the Republic was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army, US Navy, US Marines and US Revenue Cutter Service who served in the American Civil War. Founded in 1866 in Decatur, Illinois, it was dissolved in 1956 when its last member died...
Rawlins Building Association, Marlborough, Mass.