The Browns Point Lighthouse Bell and Pump House

The Browns Point Lighthouse Bell and Pump House. . From the Daily Ledger, Tacoma, Washington, Sunday, June 15th, 1913 ,

“ The Browns Point bell was cast in 1855 by Bernard and Co, bell foundry in Philadelphia, and was brought around the Horn in 1857 by the first lighthouse tender to come to the Pacific Coast the ‘Shurrick’ to see duty at Dungeness Light Station during the 1860s and later at Point No Point, before its installation at Browns Point in 1903.”

Among the first light keeper's duties in the early 1900s was ringing the bell during periods of fog. Browns Point is said to have more dense fog and longer sustained periods of fog than any other site in Puget Sound. The 1200-pound Browns Point fog bell was operated by winding a crank that lifted a 1440 pound weight with a four-part gear. This mechanism controlled the hammer that struck the fog bell. It required winding every 45 minutes. The bell rang a single stroke every 20 seconds. In 1922 the lighthouse site received electricity and the light and bell were electronically mechanized., In 1933 when today's concrete lighthouse was built to replace the 30-year-old wood lighthouse, the bell was replaced by an air horn. The bell was given to the College of Puget Sound (today's University of Puget Sound) where the bell marked the beginning and ending of classes. When an electric buzzer system replaced the bell, it was stowed in a storage area. In 1984 a member of the UPS Board of Trustees requested that it be given to the Fox Island Alliance Church. A bowling ball was attached inside for a clapper. On June 21, 2000 the Fox Island Alliance Church donated the bell to the Points Northeast Historical Society who returned the bell to Browns Point Lighthouse Park. The bell now hangs here in the old Pump House that was built in 1917 and along with the lighthouse, cottage, boathouse and oil house is on the National Registry of Historic Places., On August 5th, 2000 the Points Northeast Historical Society dedicated the bell to the memory of Murray Morgan, nationally renowned Northwest historian. Murray Morgan, a former UPS professor, was a friend, supporter and guest speaker for several society functions throughout the years. The bell came home to Browns Point one day before the death of Murray Morgan. , [Captions] , . (Top) The 1200 pound fog bell hung above the light from a recessed area under the roof. , . (Bottom) The bell ringing apparatus required winding the crank every 45 minutes. The hammer struck the bell every 20 seconds.