A 700-pound bronze bell cast by the Meneely Bell Foundry in 1868 first rang across Antioch in 1872 when the city had 626 residents. The bell belonged to First Congregational Church and became part of the Zamora family's childhood, with Joseph Zamora storing it in his backyard for decades. The church sold its building in 2010 and transferred bell ownership to the Antioch Historical Society by deed in 2021. The historical society raised funds through the "Let It Ring Again" campaign to build a tower at the Antioch Historical Society Museum to house the bell. The bell tower project will be unveiled to the public on Nov. 1, coinciding with the historical society's 50th anniversary and a 25th anniversary milestone.
"There would be a string and they then hook it, and you would just ride it up and down, and that was fun," said Zamora-Solak.
"It was part of our childhood memories."
"where it belongs"
"historically significant artifact,"
Collection
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