''Liberty Bell'' refers to one of two replicas in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, United States, of the original

Liberty Bell The Liberty Bell, previously called the State House Bell or Old State House Bell, is an iconic symbol of American independence, located in Philadelphia. Originally placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House (now renamed Independence ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. The first replica was purchased in 1962, and installed in the rotunda of

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

in 1964. On November 21, 1970, it was destroyed in a bomb blast that also damaged the building's east portico. The second replica was installed outside of City Hall soon after the blast (c. 1972) with funds from private donations. It was dedicated on November 6, 1975. The bell is listed as a state veterans memorial by the

Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs The Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs is an agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for programs and benefits for citizens of the state who are veterans of the U.S. armed services, their dependents and survivors. The ...

History

Portland has had two replicas of

's original

. The first replica was purchased in 1962 for $8,000. It was constructed at the McShane Bell Foundry in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

and received a 25-year guarantee against breakage. The bell arrived in Portland in June 1963, with a damaged base and beam since the sculpture had slipped off its supports. Repairs were made before the replica was paraded through the city on a flatbed truck, then put into storage until

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Man ...

, when the bell was presented to the city. It was publicly rung for the first time during holiday celebrations and installed in

's rotunda on May 5, 1964. On November 21, 1970, a dynamite bomb that had been placed beneath the bell detonated, damaging City Hall's east portico columns, shattering windows, and destroying the replica. No one was injured, but "shards of bell went everywhere through the main portico". The crime remains unsolved; no one claimed responsibility or was prosecuted for the blast. In 1993, ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

'' said: "Wild, highly vocal speculation blamed the blast on either left-wing or right-wing terrorists, depending, of course, on the accusers' own political persuasions. Others guessed it was a monumental prank that careened out of control." Portland's second replica is located outside of City Hall's east portico, near the intersection of Southwest Fourth and Madison streets and across from

Terry Schrunk Plaza Terry Schrunk Plaza is a park located in Downtown Portland, downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Description and history Located across from Portland City Hall (Oregon), City Hall, the park is named after former Portland mayor Terry Schrun ...

. Private donations totaling $8,000 allowed a new bell to be purchased for $6,000 and installed not long after the blast (c. 1972). The bell has also been attributed as a gift from Philadelphia residents to Portland school children. Note: "Walk 2: Civic Center / Urban Renewal". It was dedicated on November 6, 1975. The replica was surveyed and considered "treatment needed" by the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

's "

Save Outdoor Sculpture! Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!) was a community-based effort to identify, document, and conserve outdoor sculpture in the United States. The program was initiated in 1989 and ended in 1999. History Save Outdoor Sculpture! was initiated by Herit ...

" program in October 1993. The

lists the bell as one of the state's veterans memorials.

Description and reception

The sculpture is made of Best Genuine Bell Metal, a sixteen percent min-copper alloy, and measures approximately . It is attached to a horizontal beam that is supported by two V-shaped beams. The base is made of brick, metal (steel) and wood (mahogany covering) that measures approximately . The west side displays the inscription . Raised lettering along the top of the bell reads . The founder's mark also appears. Smithsonian categorizes the sculpture as

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...

for symbolizing

liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

. The bell has been included in published walking tours of Portland.

References

External links

*
City of Portland's Liberty Bell Replica
Waymarking
Wikipedia-Derived Fact of the Day
by

Sarah Mirk Sarah Shay Mirk (she/they) is an author, zinester, and journalist based in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. Education Mirk attended Grinnell College, graduating in 2008. Career She worked for the ''Portland Mercury'' from 2008 to 2013. ...

(October 20, 2009), ''The Portland Mercury'' {{Public art in Portland, Oregon 1963 establishments in Oregon 1963 sculptures 1972 establishments in Oregon 1972 sculptures Allegorical sculptures in Oregon Copper sculptures in Oregon Demolished buildings and structures in Oregon Destroyed sculptures Individual bells in the United States Liberty symbols Military monuments and memorials in the United States Monuments and memorials in Portland, Oregon Outdoor sculptures in Portland, Oregon Southwest Portland, Oregon Vandalized works of art in Oregon

History

Description and reception

See also

References

External links