The Story of the Bell

The Story of the Bell. . , With the possible exception of a few pioneer tombstones, this bell, forged in Cincinnati ca. 1845, is probably the oldest manufactured artifact in Wabash. For years it played significant public roles in the town, calling folks to worship and warning of trouble. Originally it hung in the steeple of the first church in town, erected by the Presbyterians, on the central east side of Wabash Street hill. It was critically useful in April, 1870, when fire raced from East Market Street through the downtown and then up the hill to burn the Court House and the town's eastern residential area. This bell alerted citizens that the town was in peril, and may have saved many lives that day and in the years to follow., In later years after the Presbyterians had moved into the then new church on Hill Street, 1880, and purchased a larger bell, the old bell, this bell, was acquired by St. Matthew's United Church of Christ, then located on Walnut Street. When that church built on North Wabash street, it took the bell with it. Later, St. Mathew's dissolved, and the leaders graciously allowed the bell to return to the Presbyterians.