User:Kranar drogin/Ogle County/Illinois Freedom Bell

The Illinois Freedom Bell is the official freedom bell of the state U.S. state of Illinois. Located in Mount Morris, Illinois,the bell was created as a replica of the Liberty Bell. The Illinois Freedom Bell is rung during the annual Let Freedom Ring festival, and it can be found beneath a gazebo on the village square.

History
The Illinois Freedom Bell, located in Mount Morris, Illinois, was cast as a replica to the Liberty Bell sometime in the early 1860s. Following the bell's creation, it was transported to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, where it was kept in the belfry of a church along the shore of Geneva Lake. Sometime during the two decades between 1910 and 1920, the church was destroyed by fire. The bell was undamaged, and following the fire went into storage for a time. The church members then decided to move their church to the opposite side of the lake. During the winter a group of men attempted to drag the bell across the lake, the weight from the bell cracked the ice and it sank to the bottom of the lake.



The bell remained submerged for over 40 years before a wealthy resident of Lake Geneva decided to attempt to surface the bell. The resident located the bell, and surfaced it intent on making the future Illinois Freedom Bell the focal point of his new home. Subsequently, in April 1963 Ronald Reagan visited Mount Morris to dedicate the first Mount Morris freedom bell, which now hangs at the Memorial Fountain.

In 1966, an article was published about the bell's submersion and resurfacing. The article interested the people of Mount Morris, Illinois, and they sent 12 members of their Fourth of July Committee to investigate the bell. The people of Mount Morris decided to purchase the bell, and they formed a committee, obtained a loan from Mount Morris VFW, and collcted donations from local residents to purchase the bell for US$500. By July 4, 1966, the Illinois Freedom Bell hung from the gazebo in its current location. Five years later, in 1971, the bell was designated the Official Freedom Bell of the State of Illinois. A plaque was added to the tower on July 4, 1972 with an inscription from Illinois Governor Richard B. Ogilvie that reads:

On this occasion of the first official ringing of the Freedom Bell at Mount Morris, let this message be heard by all Americans: "Let us be one nation dedicated as never before to the realization of the promise of freedom for all."



The bell is rung in unison, at 1 pm CDT (6 pm UTC) with other bells across the United States. Thousands of people gather in the village to hear the bell each year on the Fourth of July. The annual event is known as the Let Freedom Ring festival.

Description and composition
The Illinois Freedom Bell is silver in color and cast from bronze metal. It is four feet (1.2 m) tall and four feet (1.2 m) wide with a weight of 1,500 pounds (680 kg).