The Bell Tolled

New Glasgow - For Whom the Bell Tolled

If you’ve been to the New Glasgow Library on the corner of Dalhousie and Archimedes Street, there is a good chance that you may have noticed a bell tower monument on the edge of the parking lot across the street. I’ve passed by it many times but never took the time to stop to find out what it is and why its there, until now…

The bell was originally manufactured and supplied by Steven P. Struthers Limited of Eastvale Place, Klevinhaugh, Glasgow, Scotland. It was purchased by the town and mounted on the post office-customs house (which is now the town hall) in 1901 for 50 years.

It has served many purposes over the years. It was New Glasgow’s fire alarm. The townspeople were notified of fire by the bell ringing in response to a signal from one of the electric outdoor call boxes located throughout the town.

The bell also tolled time signals at 8:00am and Noon, 9:00pm for the children’s curfew and after 1936 for a decade, rang the town clock hours.

The bell may sit quiet today but it rang loudly back in the day to fulfill some important duties. It echoed in the streets to alert residents of fire helping to save countless lives. I can also imagine the young children running home as fast as they could from a fun-filled summer day of playing outside when the curfew bell rang.

When I grew up, we didn’t have a curfew bell. Instead, it was my mother yelling our names out the back door alerting us it was time to come in for the night.

Different method, same outcome….lol