Arlington - West End in Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Old Elyton Courthouse Bell

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, February 11, 2023

1. Old Elyton Courthouse Bell Marker

Inscription. From 1820 until 1878 this bell hung in the belfry of the old Elyton courthouse, one-half mile northeast of this spot. In 1861 Jefferson County boys were mustered in there and the bell tolled them off to war. John Felix McLaughlin was one of them. Private McLaughlin returned from war and in 1878 was professor at Silver Lake Institute at Pinson. Birmingham had then become the county seat. A friend of the professor, Elgin Taylor, bought the bell for $5 and gave it to him for his new schoolhouse. The man it had rung off to war now rang “scholars” to school. Silver Lake Institute was torn down in the 1920's and the bell was bought by Columbus Gorman, one of Professor Mac's former pupils, for use at his nearby farm. After World War II the farm and bell were sold to Fredric Hensel. On March 19, 1961, the bell was brought to Arlington.

Bell erected here and this tablet
donated by Professor McLaughlin's
daughter, Millie C. McLaughlin,
and his grandson, Stuart Mims

Erected by Millie C. McLaughlin • Stuart Mims.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Education • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Historic Bells series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1820.

Location.

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33° 29.985′ N, 86° 50.308′ W. Marker is in Birmingham, Alabama, in Jefferson County. It is in Arlington - West End. It can be reached from 3rd Street Southwest south of Cotton Avenue Southwest, on the right when traveling south. Marker is in the parking lot of Arlington Antebellum Home & Gardens. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 331 Cotton Ave SW, Birmingham AL 35211, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once 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: Wilson's Raiders (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Walker Memorial Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); South Elyton Baptist Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); Washington School (approx. 0.6 miles away); Disabled American Veterans (approx. 0.6 miles away); St Paul Lutheran Church (approx. ¾ mile away); United Confederate Veterans (approx. 0.9 miles away); Colored Memorial Park (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Birmingham.

Also see . . .
1. Elyton. Elyton (or Ely's Town), Jefferson County's first county seat, was named for a man who never lived there. (BhamWiki) (Submitted on February 12, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Elyton. Now a neighborhood in southwest Birmingham, the community of Elyton is located in Jefferson County's Jones Valley. The original county seat,

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, February 11, 2023

2. Old Elyton Courthouse Bell Marker

the community played a significant role in the early history of the area. (Claire Wilson, Encyclopedia of Alabama, posted July 14, 2022) (Submitted on February 12, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

3. John F. McLaughlin. Besides teaching, McLaughlin also collected taxes for the county. (BhamWiki) (Submitted on February 12, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

John Felix McLaughlin (1842-1923) image. Click for full size.

from Notable Men of Alabama: Personal and Genealogical by Joel Campbell Dubose (Public Domain), circa 1904

3. John Felix McLaughlin (1842-1923)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 12, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 416 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 12, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.