| LET LIBERTY RING |
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Posted: Friday, September 7, 2012 6:11 am
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LET LIBERTY RING — Discovery Park of America director Polly Brasher and committee volunteer Hugh Wade show off the newly-arrived replica of the Liberty Bell which will be on display at DPA when it opens in Union City next year. The full size replica was cast in copper and bronze by a 350-year-old company, Royal Bellfoundry Petit and Fritsen in The Netherlands, and is three feet tall, with a circumference at the lip of 12 feet. The diameter at the lip is 3.83 feet and the bell weighs 2,080 pounds. It is tuned to the musical note F1. The Bible verse “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof (Leviticus 25:10)” is inscribed on the bell and the famous 24.5 inch crack is “fake,” according to Wade, who researched and made arrangements for the casting of what will, no doubt, prove to be a popular feature at DPA. The original Liberty Bell was cast at Whitechapel Bellfoundry in London. In 1846, a thin crack began to affect the sound of the bell. It was repaired that same year and it rang out for the celebration of President George Washington’s birthday a short time later. However, the bell cracked again and has not been rung since. The original bell, which became a symbol for national unity after the Civil War, is on display in Philadelphia. |
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