Freedom Bell, American Legion facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Freedom Bell, American Legion |
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| Year | Cast in 1975, dedicated in 1981 |
| Type | Bronze |
| Location | Washington, D.C. |
| 38°53′47.6″N 77°0′23.53″W / 38.896556°N 77.0065361°W | |
| Owner | National Park Service |
The Freedom Bell, American Legion is a large public artwork. You can find it at Union Station in Washington, D.C., United States. This special bell was looked at by the Smithsonian's American Art Museum in 1985. They keep records of American paintings and sculptures.
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What Does the Freedom Bell Look Like?
This sculpture is a huge copy of the famous Liberty Bell. It's twice as big as the original! The bell was made by a company called Petit & Fritsen. It's super heavy, weighing 8 tons. That's like the weight of two big elephants!
The bell stands on a strong support. This support is made of two concrete posts and a beam across the top. Right in front of the bell, there's a special plaque on the ground. It tells you why the bell is there.
The plaque says:
- The Freedom Bell
- Dedicated to
- The Spirit of the Bicentennial
- on Behalf of
- The Children of Our Nation
- Given By
- The American Legion
- And
- American Legion Auxiliary
- 1981
The Bell's Story
The Freedom Bell was a gift to the nation. It came from the American Legion, a group of military veterans. They gave it for America's 200th birthday, called the Bicentennial. This bell is a model of another bell at the American Legion Headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The U.S. Congress approved this gift on October 12, 1976. It's interesting because the bell had to be made outside of the United States. No company in the U.S. at that time was big enough to cast such a giant bell!
A Special Journey Across America
Once the bell was finished, it was shipped to Baltimore. From there, it went on an amazing trip! It traveled to all 48 states that are connected to each other. It rode on a special train called the American Freedom Train.
This journey started on April 1, 1975, in Wilmington, Delaware. It ended on December 31, 1976, in Miami, Florida. The Freedom Bell shared its train car with other cool items. One was a map showing the train's route. The other was a lunar rover, like the ones astronauts drove on the Moon!
Finding a Home
After its big tour, the bell was put into storage by the National Park Service. This was from 1977 to 1978. There were many talks about where the bell should finally be placed.
Finally, in 1981, an agreement was reached. The Freedom Bell was placed at Union Station. The American Legion had hoped it would be placed somewhere else, like the National Mall. They were not very happy with its final location at first.
Who Made the Bell?
The I. T. Verdin Company from Cincinnati, Ohio, managed the details of making the bell. Jack Patrick was the architect who helped design the sculpture. Allen J. Wright Associates created the strong post and beam support for the bell. The metal work was done by Fred S. Gichner Iron Works.
