The Bell of Our First Church
Built in 1896, St. Francis of Assisi Church burned to the ground April 12, 1957, Friday before Holy Week. Fire broke out at 10:20 p.m., and the Rectory was also destroyed.
Father Luke Hally kept the broken bell until he died in 1970. One day within a few months the bell was sold by mistake. A junk dealer hauled it away, but James Christini, John Evangelisti and Charles Burke brought it back the next day.
On July 4, 1983, Stanley Bohensky Sr. arranged with Ernest Menold to take the bell to repair it and to make its support. We are grateful to them for their efforts and for the memories.
Erected by the Parishioners of St. Francis of Assisi.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Disasters • Man-Made Features • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Historic Bells series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 12, 1957.
Location. 41° 28.983′ N, 76° 22.823′ W. Marker is in Mildred, Pennsylvania, in Sullivan County. It is at
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the Pennsylvania Wilds. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.6 miles away); a different marker also named Veterans Memorial (approx. 2.7 miles away); World War Memorial (approx. 3 miles away); Civil War Memorial (approx. 3 miles away); Korean War Memorial (approx. 3 miles away); Vietnam War Memorial (approx. 3 miles away); Spanish American War Memorial (approx. 3 miles away); Lopez Centennial Park (approx. 3.1 miles away).
Also see . . .
1. Photo of the original St. Francis of Assisi Church and Rectory. (Submitted on September 10, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
2. Newspaper article on the 1957 St. Francis of Assisi Church fire can be found here. (Submitted on September 10, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 10, 2019. It was originally submitted on September 10, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 232 times since then and 3 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 10, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
