Downtown Church Bell To Be Silenced - Temporarily

The bell at First Presbyterian Church of Safety Harbor has been ringing like clockwork every Sunday for more than five decades. But this Sunday, the bell will go silent following the annual Pentecost service.

“We ring the bell on Sunday morning, for weddings and funerals, and sometimes the kids in the neighborhood even ring it,” Pastor Ginny Ellis said.

“But what’s happening is we’ve noticed there’s a lurch in the movement of the bell due to a flat spot on the axle, so it’s not as smooth a motion as we normally have.” 

Ellis isn’t sure if the glitch is a sign that the bell is about to collapse or just a normal product of wear and tear. 

Still, church officials didn’t want to take any chances, so after this Sunday’s service, the ringing rope will be tied up until a solution can be found.

“We’re worried the bell might fall and hurt somebody or break the bell tower, so the board decided to discontinue ringing the bell until we can come up with a way to fix it.

“We’re not sure if it’s something simple that would cost a couple hundred dollars to fix, or something major that would coast several thousand. We don’t even know who to call!” 

Ellis said the bell has an interesting history. 

After being cast in the 1800s, it found a home in an Indiana church, where it hung and was rung for decades before being bought and shipped to Safety Harbor in the 1940s. 

It was stored in a garage of A.M. McMullen for a decade until the new First Presbyterian chapel was constructed in 1956. The bell was then placed in the tower that was built specifically for it.

“It’s an important part of the church’s history,” Ellis said. 

She said the church is hoping someone comes forward who knows what the problem might be and what needs to be done to fix it, if anything. 

“It has a lovely sound and I think the neighborhood loves it, so we don’t want it not to be rung. But we want everyone to be safe.”

If anyone has any knowledge of church bells and/or how to repair them, please contact First Presbyterian Church of Safety Harbor at 727-726-2014.

Related: 

• First Presbyterian Provides a Safe Harbor for All

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