After 177 years, 1,200 miles, $35,000 and a 70-page report by historians from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a 782-pound church bell was returned to its original home in Iowa City.
On Oct. 5, Iowa City’s First Presbyterian Church held a dedication and blessing for what they now call their “Hummer Bell.” It’s a three-foot-wide bronze bell named for the church’s first pastor, Rev. Michael Hummer, whose foibles later made it famous. The ceremony marked the return of the bell after it had been smuggled out of Iowa in 1850.
What’s the significance of this particular bell? It’s a story full of intrigue — mistaken identity, theft, arson and even a “madman” with an “ungovernable temper” trapped in a belltower…