Ocala in Marion County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Ocala Fire Bell

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 23, 2021

1. Ocala Fire Bell Marker

Inscription.
This Bell dated 1889 was originally located on this block. The Bell hung from the Fire Station Bell Tower until the Firehouse was razed in 1968.

Erected by Historic Ocala Preservation Society, Inc.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Communications. In addition, it is included in the Historic Bells series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1889.

Location. 29° 11.169′ N, 82° 8.101′ W. Marker is in Ocala, Florida, in Marion County. It is at the intersection of Southeast Broadway Street and Southeast Osceola Avenue, on the right when traveling east on Southeast Broadway Street. Marker is mounted at eye-level on the northwest corner of the parking garage at this address, facing Southeast Broadway Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 296 Southeast Broadway Street, Ocala FL 34471, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically,

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it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Ocala Fire Department (here, next to this marker); Ocala (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Marion Block (about 400 feet away); Ocala Demands (about 500 feet away); Gazebo (about 500 feet away); The Gary Block Building (about 500 feet away); The Old Courthouse Square (about 600 feet away); Grace Episcopal Church (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ocala.

More about this marker. The preserved 1889 Ocala Fire Bell is on exhibit in the Southeast Broadway Street median, about 15 yards north of marker.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Historic Ocala Preservation Society Downtown Mobile Device Tour

Also see . . . The Original Ocala Fire Department Bell: Seen Again, Not Heard. Ocala Star-Banner (2019)

For more than 80 years, the bell was part of the firehouses that stood
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 23, 2021

2. Ocala Fire Bell Marker
(fire bell in left foreground • marker visible on building in right background)
on the block where the city’s parking garage now stands. The bell sits on a brick-lined pedestal in the median of Broadway. Dedicated on July 4, 1889, the bell rang to signal fires, in celebration of holidays and in mourning after the deaths of prominent citizens. It also served as the lunch bell for the city and rang to signal the start of the day and the end of business. It was central to the town until it cracked. Legend has it that in the exuberance after Germany's defeat during World War II in 1945, the bell rang so long and loud that it cracked. Another story dates the crack to 1964.

(Submitted on January 3, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

1889 Ocala Fire Bell image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 23, 2021

3. 1889 Ocala Fire Bell

(on exhibit near marker)

Alternate Ocala Fire Bell Marker<br>(<i>mounted directly in front of bell</i>)</center> image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 23, 2021

4. Alternate Ocala Fire Bell Marker
(mounted directly in front of bell)

This bell, dated 1889, was originally located on the corner of Osceola Avenue and Fort King Street. In 1894 it was placed in the bell tower of the new fire station, where it remained for 74 years. The bell was rung when fires occurred, at noon each day and on Saturday evenings at 9 o’clock to signal the store merchants of closing time.

Fire Bell Inscription (<i>front</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 23, 2021

5. Fire Bell Inscription (front)

Ocala Fire Department
July 4th, 1889
Chief, F.A. Teague • Mayor, Thos. P. Gary
Fire Committee:
J.A. Rowell, Chairman
Israel Brown, W.G. Marshall

Fire Bell Inscription (<i>back</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 23, 2021

6. Fire Bell Inscription (back)

McShane Bell Foundry
Baltimore, MD.
1889

Credits. This page was last revised on January 7, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 2, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 591 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on January 3, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.