Illinois Freedom Bell

Illinois Freedom Bell
Illinois State Freedom Bell, State of Illinois Freedom Bell
Town bell
The Illinois Freedom Bell in Mt. Morris.
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Village	Mount Morris
Location	Town Square
- elevation	932 ft (284 m)
- coordinates	42°02′51″N 89°26′02″W / 42.04750°N 89.43389°W / 42.04750; -89.43389Coordinates: 42°02′51″N 89°26′02″W / 42.04750°N 89.43389°W / 42.04750; -89.43389
Diameter	4 ft (1.2 m)
Height	4 ft (1.2 m)
Weight	1,500 lb (700 kg)
Material	Bronze
Cast	1862
- re-installed	1966
Location of Mount Morris within Illinois
Website: http://www.letfreedomringfestival.com/

The Illinois Freedom Bell is located in Mount Morris, Illinois, United States, and is the official freedom bell of the U.S. state of Illinois. The bell was created for a church in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin as a replica of the Liberty Bell in 1862. In 1910, while it was being moved across the frozen Geneva Lake following a fire at the church, the ice cracked and the bell sank to the bottom of the lake. It was salvaged in 1960 and the village of Mount Morris acquired it in 1966. The Illinois Freedom Bell is rung during the annual Let Freedom Ring festival, and it can be found beneath a gazebo on the village square. The bell has been credited with starting an Independence Day bell-ringing tradition across the United States. The bell was designated the official Illinois Freedom Bell in 1971.

The Illinois Freedom Bell is located in Mount Morris, Illinois, and was cast as a replica of the Liberty Bell in 1862. Following its casting, the bell was transported to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, where it was kept in the belfry of a church along the north shore of Geneva Lake. In 1910, the church was destroyed by a fire; the bell fell during the fire but was undamaged; following the fire, the bell was put into storage. The church members then decided to reconstruct the church on the south side of the lake. During the winter, as a group of men attempted to drag the bell across the frozen lake, the weight of the bell cracked the ice and it sank to the bottom.

The bell remained submerged for over 40 years before a wealthy resident of Lake Geneva decided to surface the bell in 1960. The resident located the bell, and surfaced it with great difficulty, intent on making the future Illinois Freedom Bell the focal point of his new home. After the bell was salvaged he decided it did not suit his purposes. A young farmer from Johnsburg purchased the bell, and it was again kept in storage.