Old town hall bell restoration complete

Oct 19, 2023

Dec 30, 2022

Morning Journal/Morgan AhartThe old town hall bell was restored to its original bronze gleam, and to its home outside Centennial Park on Bell Island Wednesday morning, following the impressive efforts of local Eagle Scout Gabe Murray, and his father Jason, and his fellow scouts in BSA Troop 6 at St. Paul Church. Pictured from left are Jason and Gabe Murray and Darrin Bowman.

SALEM — The old town hall bell has been returned to its place outside Centennial Park with its original brilliant shine restored by the efforts of local Eagle Scout Gabe Murray, and his father Jason.

"We’ve put roughly 150 hours of hard work into this restoration project, so it feels pretty satisfying to see the project completed, and the bell back in its proper place," said Gabe Murray

The incredible restoration is the product of multiple nights of work a week for approximately six months by Gabe and Jason with additional support from his fellow scouts in BSA Troop 6 at St. Paul Church.

The 1,600-pound bell consists of 80 percent copper and 20 percent bronze and was purchased under the order of Mayor Joseph Fawcett in 1882 from the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore, Md., to be part of the old city hall on East State Street from 1882 until its removal in 1933 under orders of the Ohio Department of Inspection. The bell was moved to its current location on a cement block on the strip of land along East State Street, off of Park Drive which leads to the park, historically known as Bell Island, in 1954 by the Salem Historical Society. The bell was dedicated in June 1956 during the Sesquicentennial in memory of Miss Alice MacMillan, with a plaque memorializing the moment mounted on the concrete base.

"I had absolutely no doubts when the commission approved the restoration that the project would be done, and done well no matter how long it took to finish," said Parks Director Shane Franks.

Prior to the restoration project the bell had been painted black for reasons Gabe and Jason weren't able to determine. Jason said the black paint was cleaned away with a mix of wire wheels and sandblasting, revealing the bells original beautiful shine non-destructively, which was then preserved with a clear coat and polishing. The option to allow the bell to weather and take on an oxidized green tint was presented to the Parks Commission when Gabe presented the initial proposal for the project, but it was agreed to restore the original metallic finish.

"This truly is a project everyone in Salem will see and appreciate, it is something to take pride in, and we’re certainly proud of you and the work you’ve done to bring this piece of our city's history back to life," said Parks Commission President John Panezott.

In addition to the work done on the bell itself the bell's cast iron frame and the concrete block on which it sits were also restored and sealed, and new trunnions were fabricated to replace the previously existing ones as they were deemed to be in poor condition.

Jason said the new trunnions and even the new bearings installed to allow the bell to move were fabricated from stainless steel to ensure they would not rust or degrade in the elements.

"Hopefully in 25 years the bell will still be able to swing," said Jason.

A new striker for the bell has also been fabricated to allow it to ring one more. The new striker is a 21-inch bar with a weighted end that has yet to be installed while Jason and Gabe work with the parks commission to device a non-destructive locking system for the bell to prevent it being rung unintentionally by weather or by any local pranksters as the bell sits in a residential area.

"We’re just happy to be able to give something back to our community," said Jason.

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