For Whom the Bell Tolls

Downtown La Grange Gets a New Landmark

Talk about a big door bell: Thrivent Financial agent Erich Lehmann installed a huge bronze bell in front of his office on the Square in La Grange last week. If you’re walking by, give it a ring.

The bell dates from 1870. Lehmann believes it came from a building in Austin that burned down long ago. Lehmann bought it from a bell dealer in Michigan, where the bell had been for many years.

“I have an obsession with bells and music, and plus history,” Lehmann said.

“It all started when I was a little boy at First Presbyterian Church in La Grange,” he added. “I would ring the church bell every Sunday morning before the service.”

Jack Wiederhold, the organist at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Serbin, told Lehmann about Brosamer’s Bells, a Michiganbased dealer in antique bells. When Lehmann found the bell from Austin in Brosamer’s collection, he said he knew he had to buy it.

“When these bells come up for sale, they get sold very quickly,” Lehmann said. “I had to act fast.”

Lehmann had the bell delivered just before the New Year. He rented a forklift to set it into place.

“It’s a true bronze bell, not a cast bell, which sounds dull” Lehmann said. “You can tell the difference – this bell has a heavenly sound.”

Lehmann attached the bell to a steel base with a lever-mounted clapper. He said everyone is free to give it a ring. In addition, Lehmann said La Grange Main Street approved the installation.

Lehmann said he was working with Bobbie Nash of the Fayette County Historical Commission to determine the bell’s lineage. Bosamer’s told him the bell came from a building in Austin. Markings on the bell say it was manufactured in 1870 by Jones & Co. at the Troy Bell Foundry in Troy, New York. While cleaning the bell, Lehmann noticed a unique patina in the bell’s cast-iron yoke, suggesting it was in a fire. He plans to install a plaque with information about the bell’s history once he tracks down the details.

Lehmann said it could be one of the largest bells of its kind in Fayette County.

“They made them so well back in the old days,” he said. “It puts out a great sound if you hit it right.”