Header

The top of the bell, cast and installed in 1841. Cast in East Medway, Massachusetts by George H. Holbrook. Shows solid oak headstock. Counter-weighted with a granite slab and iron bars, which were put in to slow the swing of bell. Weighs 1200 pounds.
Holbrook, born in 1767, apprenticed under Paul Revere and was considered one of the three major bell founders in America at the time.
There are three ways to make the bell ring:
1827 bell ringing: The bell was rung to call for town meetings, presidential elections, fire alarms, calls to worship, emergencies, news. Three quick strokes meant a child died, three quick strokes repeated twice denoted a woman died. Three quick strokes repeated a third time denoted a man had died. Age of person was struck with brief pauses between strokes.
1980 Linda Wolford, a bell expert from Boston inspected bell and said we must replace sagging headstock. In 1984, Whitechapel Bell Foundry of London made the headstock and related bearings, along with a new clapper, for $6500. However, Linda identified a clapper problem. The first one wasn’t synchronized with the bell, due to a casting error. It was decided it to recast the clapper and a new one was sent from London.