Old Hope-Hose Bell Gets New Life

LOCK HAVEN – The old Hope-Hose bell, taken from the roof of Lock Haven’s E. Church Street fire hall in 1991, will soon be back on public display.

A team from Rus Contracting of Mill Hall is doing the brickwork for the new signage in front of the Hope-Hose building. It will include the bell which was cast in 1881 and stood atop of the Hope’s former building located on Grove Street.

When the new fire hall was opened on Church Street in 1971, the bell was relocated to a new bell tower. But it had to be taken down in 1991, as explained by assistant city fire chief Tyler Wooding. He said the tower was causing damage to the fire hall and when the bell tower siren would sound, it caused damage to the roof. The bell was put in storage in the fire hall until the decision was made to include it in the new signage.

Wooding said Brownie’s Signs is overseeing the new sign project and it should be completed in about a month.