''Freedom Bell, American Legion'', is a public artwork located at
Union Station
A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...
in Washington, D.C., United States. A replica of the
Liberty Bell
The Liberty Bell, previously called the State House Bell or Old State House Bell, is an iconic symbol of American Revolution, American independence located in Philadelphia. Originally placed in the steeple of Pennsylvania State House, now know ...
, ''Freedom Bell, American Legion'' was surveyed as part of the
Smithsonian's American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database in 1985.
Description
The sculpture is a 2:1 scale replica of the
Liberty Bell
The Liberty Bell, previously called the State House Bell or Old State House Bell, is an iconic symbol of American Revolution, American independence located in Philadelphia. Originally placed in the steeple of Pennsylvania State House, now know ...
. The bell, which was cast by
Petit & Fritsen, weighs 8 tons and has a support structure of
post and beam style with two concrete shafts.
Set into the paving in front of the bell is a plaque that reads:
:The Freedom Bell
:Dedicated to
:The Spirit of the Bicentennial
:on Behalf of
:The Children of Our Nation
:Given By
:The American Legion
:And
:American Legion Auxiliary
:1981
History
The bell, a Bicentennial gift from the
American Legion
The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...
, is a model of the bell on display at the American Legion Headquarters in
Indianapolis
Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
, Indiana. Authorized by
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
on October 12, 1976, it was cast outside of the US because no
foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...
had the capacity to cast the bell.
When the bell was completed it was shipped to
Baltimore
Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
and then traveled to all 48 contiguous states aboard the American
Freedom Train for the Bicentennial, starting on April 1, 1975, in Wilmington, Delaware, and ending December 31, 1976, in Miami, Florida.
The bell shared train car No. 41 (later renumbered 40) with a map of the American Freedom Train's journey and a
lunar rover
A lunar rover or Moon rover is a space exploration Rover (space exploration), vehicle designed to move across the surface of the Moon. The Apollo program's Lunar Roving Vehicle was driven on the Moon by members of three American crews, Apollo 15, ...
.
From 1977 to 1978 the bell was placed in
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
storage until lengthy discussions led to an agreement and the bell was placed at Union Station in 1981. The American Legion, who hoped for placement at the
National Mall
The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped park near the Downtown, Washington, D.C., downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institu ...
, were unhappy with the bell's placement.
In 2024, the bell was covered with graffiti by pro-Palestinian protesters, protesting Israel's action in the ongoing
Gaza war
The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
and calling for
Intifada and the dismantlement of the
State of Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
and the United States, which coincided with a speech to the
U.S. Congress
The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...
by Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...
.
Artist
The details of the casting were handled by I. T. Verdin Company of
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
, Ohio. Jack Patrick served as associate architect for the sculpture and Allen J. Wright Associates created the post and beam support for the bell. The iron work was completed by Fred S. Gichner Iron Works.
See also
*
List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 6
References
External links
The Story of the 1975–1976 Bicentennial American Freedom Train
''Freedom Bell'' on HMDB
{{Portal bar, United States, Visual arts
Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C.
Individual bells in the United States
Liberty symbols
American Legion
1976 in the United States
1976 sculptures
Bronze sculptures in Washington, D.C.
United States Bicentennial
Northeast (Washington, D.C.)
Vandalized works of art in Washington, D.C.