Liberty Bell moves from top of Freedom Tower

Once lost and now found, the Liberty Bell no longer takes its seat atop the Freedom Tower but now has a new home in front of the Williams Stadium Gate 1. On Aug. 3 at 3:40 p.m., a giant crane removed the 3,000-pound bell from the Freedom Tower, carrying it down 17 stories – over 275 feet. 

According to Dan Deter, vice president of Major Construction, the skylight of the Freedom Tower fits like a “cap” on top. The Liberty Bell sat in the direct center of this cap. In order to extract it safely, the construction team brought in equipment riggers and built a temporary platform above the glass elevator at the top. They then “surgically” unhooked the bell from the cap at the top. The riggers made a custom pallet that would hold the bell secure and allow it to be extracted out the side of the Freedom Tower.

Once the bell was fixed into its “custom carrying case,” then the Liberty Bell replica could be safely taken out, leaving the other 25 bells untouched. The overall process spanned four and a half days.

Liberty University first installed the replica Liberty Bell in 1976 to celebrate the renaming of the university from Lynchburg Baptist College to Liberty Baptist College. It rested in its own pavilion outside of Elmer L. Towns’ Religion Hall for 40 years until it was installed atop the Freedom Tower in April 2017.

Deter also mentioned that by moving the Liberty Bell to the top of the Freedom Tower, they missed the chance to connect with students. When the bell sat in the pavilion, it was popular with the students. Students and visitors could see it with their own eyes and take pictures with it. At its temporary home in front of the football stadium, people can reach up and touch it.

“We like to create these things called ‘Instagrammable’ moments where students can take their pictures and fun stuff,” Deter said. 

Christy Lynn, an academic programs coordinator in the School of Music, witnessed the bell being moved.

“According to administration, the bell was removed to restore access and appreciation for it in plenty of time for the 250th anniversary of the United States,” Lynn said.

On top of that, the Liberty Bell replica will be part of the upcoming Jerry Falwell Center. Deter said the Jerry Falwell Center is going to “encapsulate the Liberty experience,” and so he thought it would be a good idea to make the bell a part of that.

“I said, ‘Wait a minute, why don’t we take the Liberty Bell down, out of the Freedom Tower?’” Deter said. “It’s not really ringing, so it’s not really providing a service. The students can’t appreciate it because they can’t see the details … Why don’t we put it at what’s going to be one of our signature buildings on campus when it’s all done?”

The bell is an exact replica of the original Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, commissioned in honor of Pennsylvania’s first state constitution known as the Charter of Privileges by William Penn. Like the original in Philadelphia, the LU Liberty Bell has a Bible verse engraved on it. The verse is Leviticus 25:10, which says, “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” It is an iconic American symbol of freedom and justice.

Deter described how Liberty University upholds the value of freedom that the bell represents.

“It goes down to our core belief that we’re training champions for Christ,” Deter said. “The one thing that differentiates us from other universities is the fact that we believe in personal liberty and personal freedoms.”

Bear is the feature editor for the Liberty Champion