The Annie Lloyd School Bell

The bell in the tower of the Memorial United Methodist Church came from the Murphy-Long Memorial Methodist Church. This church, built in 1881, is on the corner of West Columbia and Clay Streets (currently First Free Will Baptist Church).  The original name of this church was the M.E. Church South.  In 1901, the structure was torn down to build a larger brick building.

The bell on display on the platform is from the Annie Lloyd School (also known as the North Ward School) on Washington Street (current site of Liberty Hall).  It was purchased by the M.E. Church North in hopes of relocating.  The M.E. Church North changed its name to Carleton Memorial Church in 1937.  It is the “rock church” that still stands today and was built in 1904, located on the corner of West Columbia and Franklin Streets.  

The bell was manufactured by the C.S. Bell Company in Hillsboro, OH.  It’s “size” is a #6.  It was made sometime between 1875-1882. The exact date of manufacturing is not known due to the company enduring a name change.  The bell measures 26” in diameter.  In comparison to other bells, it would be classified as a large school bell.  In comparison to church bells, it is much smaller than those of its counterpart.