Antioch Historical Society seeks to bring First Congregational Church bell back to the public

EXHIBIT

A photo shows the 700-pound First Congregational Church bell that will be mounted in a miniature bell tower exhibit in Antioch. courtesy of Antioch Historical Society

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By Hema Sivanandam

hsivanandam@bayareanewsgroup.com

ANTIOCH — The Antioch Historical Society is working to bring new life to the historic First Congregational Church bell through a new fundraising campaign.

The 700-pound bell was originally cast in bronze by the Meneely Bell Foundry of West Troy, New York, in 1868. It was then shipped around Cape Horn before landing in Antioch.

Now several decades later, the historical society is actively raising funds through its “Let It Ring Again” campaign to allow the public to view and experience it in a new way, a project which will cost around $96,000.

Dwayne Eubanks, the historical society’s chair of the campaign’s advice committee, said members have already committed about $45,000 to the project but are looking for additional financial support.

SF Glaser Inc., a company that specializes in church bell and clock tower restoration, has provided the design and construction specifications for building the exhibit, Eubanks said.

On Tuesday, the Antioch City Council waived the building permit fee for the structure, which would have cost about $2,200.

Once the project is completed, the historical society plans to display the bell in an exhibit at the Antioch Historical Museum sometime this year.

According to Eubanks, the bell is a “historically significant artifact,” as it first rang across the city in 1872, when Antioch had just 626 residents.

It was also heard by early members of the First Congregational Church, which was deemed “fairly progressive” at the time. Thomas Gaines, a sexton of the church, was the first known Black settler in Antioch, Eubanks said.

“This was only a few years after the emancipation, so it (the bell) represents the unity of the community, and it actually symbolizes the beginning of Antioch,” Eubanks said. “The fact that we are going to be able to ring it is also special because you’ll be hearing a bell that hasn’t been rung in a long time.”

The bell was given to the historical society by First Congregational Church in 2021.

Eubanks said it was stored by a longtime church parishioner and subsequently moved to the historical museum. However, work on the bell’s structure had to be put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re finally getting back to this project,” Eubanks said.

To donate, go to antiochhistoricalmuseum.org/donations/.