The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-05-19

Of 1856 l spent two days in Manka-
to and one of the evenings | attend
ed very pleasant gathering in the
log school house in which Rev. James
Thompson held services on the Sab
bath. The object of the gathering
was to raise funds for the purchase
of bell for the church. The ladies
had prepared generous table and
also various articles for sale. Short
addresses were made by Rev.
Thompson, Rev. A. H. Kerr, (then
residing at Dubuque, Ia.,) and George
c. Clapp. The evening was passed
socially If l remember right the
proceeds were $50.
This entertainment and those
that followed accumulated funds
slowly when the ladies learned that
Josiah Keene was going east early
in 1857 to buy machinery for his MILL
and fearing the opportunity to buy
the bell might not occur again, for
long time, reinforced their other
methods by the use Of a subscription
paper, going to the general public
There was but one ten dollar bill,
another five, and possibly one more
of that size, and smaller ones from
outsiders $4,000 went forward that
spring by the hands of Josiah Keene,
cash in advance, for the purchase
of the bell.
During the summer of 1857 Kit
chen Bros. erected their building,
known as city hall AS the log school
house was small, Father Thompson
arranged with them for the use of
the hall for church services, i'll con-
sideration that the bell should be
raised in frame in rear of their hall,
to be used in common on all public
and festive occasions. On it's arrlv-
al the bell was erected en- a $4,000
frame in rear of the katchen hall. AT
the end of the year Kitchen Bros,
demanded a rental of 10000. This
was considered oppressive and the
church went back to the old log
school house. Kitchen Bros. reduced
the rent to $4,000 to hold them, but
they did not accept. The bell weighs
500 pounds.
I'm 1861 the church moved to the
Marks building Cat present the
Mitchell cafe) and the bell was moved
down in front of this building on the
river side of Front street and re-
NAMED until removed to the belfry
of the new church in 1865. Judge
Cray has examined the bell and found
it was cast in 1857.
can amusing incident is told in
connection with the bell. During the
Indian outbreak at New Ulm it was
thought best to station a guard dur
ing the night under the bell and to
ring this bell should the Indians put
in their appearance. On this particu-
lar night the guard fell asleep and
some of the boys placed bunch OF
fire crackers on his chest and set a
match to them. The fellow awoke in
a hurry, running up Front street
screaming 'Injuns, Injuns.
"Mr Chapman informed me the
trustees voted to loan the bell to
the executive committee to be used
in the pageant, and they also voted.
Che making motion to do sol to
hang the bell in the tower of the
Presbyterian church as soon as con-
venient. This will be welcome news
to Anthony Wayne Chapter D. A. r.
as well as to the general public.
Would it not be appropriate Tor thlS
chapter, after the bell is hung, with
the consent of the Presbyterians,. to
place tablet giving a short history
of the old bell which rang more than
fifty years ago for religious services,
patriotic too, when it rang for war
meetings and so many went out in
defence of their country and protec-
ton for the settlers.
1--WE surely live in historic sur
roundings. LeSueur camping in the
midwinter of 1900 near the mouth
of the LeSueur river, for whom it
was named. The ground we stand on
belonging at one time to Napoleon
Bonaparte, being part OF the
Louisiana purchase, acquired during
Jefferson's administration"