Chickasaw Capitol Bell

Chickasaw Capitol Bell. Chikasha Tulli Ola. About 1859, the Chickasaw government purchases an iron bell to be hung in the first Chickasaw Capitol Building. It was used to summon tribal members to special meetings and to signal emergencies in the community. Depending on the type of ring made by the appointed toller, the community would know whether it was a meeting or a death. Chickasaw people within ear shot would stop their daily activities and travel to the capitol to hear vital information that affected their lives. , This bell standing two feet and weighing approximately 300 pounds remained there until 1890. At that time, it was removed and placed upon a stump of a large Bois D’Arc tree near the capitol building. After construction of the new capitol in 1898, the bell remained outside the building suspended from a tripod. , On November 16, 1909, the bell was sold at auction to Emma Willis. The daughter of R.M. Harris, who was the governor of the Chickasaws from 1896-1898. After the purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Willis moved the bell to Kingston, Oklahoma. The bell was placed on a stand in the courtyard of the first Methodist Church. It remained there until 1937 or 1938, when it was hung in the belfry of the church. , Hellen Willis Louis, the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Willis, requested the church return the bell to the Chickasaw people. In 1974, this was finally accomplished. , The bell was placed back in front of the Capitol Building for the annual meeting on October 3, 1998 to celebrate the Capitol Centennial. The Chickasaw people once again and from now on will hear the sounds of the old bell calling them to a meeting in the Chickasaw Nation.