Plans Underway To Restore Historic Bell Tower In Greensburg
GREENSBURG (KDKA) -- More than a century has passed and the old bell atop No. 8 Hose and Engine in Greensburg, Westmoreland County, has stood ready to ring out a warning.
"They were so dedicated that they slept in the bell tower and responded to fire alarms out of the bell tower," said firefighter Clyde Snyder.
Truth be told, the Vermont Forge Bell's been a silent sentinel, replaced in the 1950s by the crass blare of an air horn.
"For 50 years in rang out the fire alarms in this town, and the firefighters responded," said Snyder.
Snyder has been the bell's much-needed champion.
The small roof over the bell is leaking; the bell's antique mechanism must be restored, and the cost for all of it is as impressive as the bell itself.
"The feel is, it's going to be about $70,000, but we're not quite sure," Snyder says. "There's always little things that come into play."
A fund to fix the bell has been set up. Raimondo Masonry Restoration has already begun the effort and not a moment too soon.
"You can see through the walls from inside looking out," Snyder said.
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Snyder is unapologetically nostalgic. For him, the loss of the bell would be so much more than an old chime that's seen it's time.
"It's something from a bygone era that you can't recreate anymore," he said.
If you want more information on the effort to save the old bell, check out their GoFundMe page here.
Once the project is complete, the plan is to clean and redeem the bell to its old grandeur.
