Idaho Liberty Bell coming to Coeur d’Alene

Some guests are literally about to arrive in Coeur d’Alene with bells on. 

Well, at least one bell.

To commemorate America’s 250th anniversary, state officials have furnished a pickup truck bed with the official Idaho Liberty Bell and are touring it throughout the Gem State. Since September, the full-size bronze replica of the original Liberty Bell in Philadelphia has stopped in southern and central Idaho.

The bell, which is currently back in Boise for an 18-day break, is slated to visit many North Idaho communities later this month. Stops include Post Falls, Coeur d’Alene, Rathdrum and Athol, as well as Bonner and Shoshone counties.

“It’s important to know we have a wonderful, wonderful country and the freedoms it provides,” said Damon Darakjy, a Kootenai County local and an ambassador for America 250 in North Idaho. “That bell represents the freedoms that we have and the birth of a nation of 250 years.” 

The roots of this representation stretch back to 1751. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of William Penn’s 1701 Charter of Privileges, the Pennsylvania Assembly requested London’s Whitechapel to cast a 2,080-pound bell of copper and tin.

By 1777, British occupation of Philadelphia forced revolutionaries to hide the original Liberty Bell in Allentown, Pennsylvania. After the war, it remained at Independence Hall before a growing hairline crack forced it into retirement in 1846.

As part of the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Savings Bonds Independence Drive, former U.S. Treasury Secretary John W. Snyder directed Paccard Bell Foundry in France to cast 53 official full-size replicas of the original bell in 1950.

Idaho permanently installed its replica at the State Capitol steps in 1951.

“We believe it’s a tangible way to bring history to Idahoans,” Idaho state Treasurer Julie Ellsworth told the Coeur d’Alene Press on Wednesday. “Idaho is taking history on the road, bringing the bell to all 44 counties so people can see it, hear it ring, and celebrate America250 in their own communities.”

Last December, the America250 Idaho Advisory Council approved a $28,500 project to clean and restore the state bell. The project was completed just in time to celebrate America’s semiquincentennial.

Ellsworth said the Idaho State Historical Society and the Idaho Capitol Commission supervised the careful preservation project. They sent it to Foundry Christoph in South Carolina, where specialists built a new wooden yoke, strengthened its supports and anchoring, added weather protection, and repaired and treated the existing hardware. 

“I hope people leave with a stronger connection to our history and a renewed appreciation for freedom and unity,” Ellsworth said of the bell tour. “The bell is a reminder that the ideals behind our nation’s founding belong to every generation, and that each of us has a part in preserving them.”  

This marks the second time the Idaho Liberty Bell has made it to Coeur d’Alene in 75 years, after it made a statewide tour following its casting in 1950.

“Hopefully, this will be the first of recurring visits from the Liberty Bell,” said Walter Burns, chair of Coeur d'Alene's Historic Preservation Commission. “Theres certainly a good deal of effort required to tour this thing.”

The first Kootenai County stop on the Idaho Liberty Bell tour will be Post Falls.

“I'm excited for the visit, this is a great way for Idahoans to connect with our nation’s history during America250,” Post Falls Mayor Randy Westlund said. “I encourage everyone to stop to see it while they can.”