Market House Bell
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.
Categories. • Man-Made Features •
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.