Knoxville in Knox County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Market House Bell

By Tom Bosse, September 28, 2016

1. Market House Bell Marker

Inscription. This bronze bell hung in the tower of City Hall, on the north end of market Square, beginning in the 1880s' Rung by the police chief, the bell signaled civic emergencies such as major fires and riots, via a number-based code. An effective means of community alerts in the days before radio, it could reportedly be heard in every corner of the city.

The bell was purchased by the city from McShane & Co. of Baltimore in 1883. At 25 cents per pound, and weighing more than 2,500 pounds, it cost $640.50. A new belfry had to be built to hold the bell, and lighting rods were added. When the new City Hall building was constructed in 1888, the bell was moved there.

After it was removed from City Hall in the 1930s, the bell enjoyed a second life at the Burlington Fire Station in East Knoxville, where firemen struck it with a hammer to signal blackout drills during World War II. In the 1980s, the bell returned to Market Square, where it hung for a time in another market pavilion. It was refurbished in 2005 by McShane, the same Baltimore company that manufactured it.

Location. 35° 57.883′ N, 83° 55.15′ W. Marker is in Knoxville, Tennessee, in Knox County. Marker is on Union Ave., on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Knoxville TN 37902, United States of America.

Other nearby markers.

By Tom Bosse, September 28, 2016

2. Market House Bell Marker

At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Knoxville's Market House (here, next to this marker); Civil War Hospital (approx. 0.2 miles away); Father Abram J. Ryan (approx. 0.2 miles away); First Baptist Church (approx. ¼ mile away); Knoxville: A Divided City (approx. ¼ mile away); Old Knox County Courthouse (approx. ¼ mile away); Knox County World War II Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); Treaty of the Holston (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Knoxville.

Categories. • Man-Made Features •

Market House Bell Inscription image. Click for full size.

By Tom Bosse, September 28, 2016

3. Market House Bell Inscription

McShane Bell Foundry. Henry McShane & Co. Baltimore, MD. 1883.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 10, 2016. This page originally submitted on October 9, 2016, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 138 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 9, 2016, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.