The roughly 150-year-old Brown County Courthouse bell will soon be prepared for a prominent place on display on the courthouse lawn.
Dave Stafford | Brown County Democrat
A piece of Brown County history is at long last getting a prominent new home on the courthouse lawn.
Work crews earlier this month broke ground on a small structure overlooking Van Buren Street that will house the bell that had been atop the courthouse tower since the current brick courthouse was built in the 1870s to replace a log courthouse that burned.
“We’re trying to do it at no county expense,” said Duane Parsons, who along with wife Lois have been among the biggest boosters of the project.
In order to bring the project home solely through donations, the county has begun selling commemorative engraved brick pavers for $100 apiece. If all the pavers sell, it will raise approximately $30,000 toward the project.
Work crews frame the structure that will display the roughly 150-year-old brass bell that was removed from the steeple of the Brown County Courthouse. (Dave Stafford | Brown County Democrat)
“We’re excited about the project,” said Theresa Cobian, administrative assistant for the Brown County Commissioners, who is handling the sale of pavers. She said pavers can be personalized and engraved with up to three lines of 18 characters each.
Cobian said the bricks are left over from an earlier courthouse project and can be reserved by filling out a form at the commissioners’ office. She said a form also was expected to be posted on the commissioners’ website soon.
“We had wood donated, shingles, the bricks we already had,” Cobian said. “We’re trying to do it so we’re not spending any taxpayer dollars. Any donations are greatly appreciated.”
The solid brass bell is roughly 150 years old and Parsons said it came as a bit of a surprise to him and many others when they learned there was a bell in the tower at all.
When the courthouse underwent renovations several years ago, it was determined that the bell, which is styled after the famous Liberty Bell, posed a hazard of falling through the floor of the steeple atop the building, so it was removed. Parson estimated the bell weighs about 300 pounds.
On Oct. 7, the Parsons were on site as a work crew broke ground where an 8-foot-by-8-foot structure is being built to house the bell on public display. The structure will be accessible off the courthouse sidewalk and in a place visible to people passing by on Van Buren or Main streets.
The Parsons said groundbreaking had been a long time coming. Work on the project dates back to when the bell was first removed about five years ago, they said.
“I’m glad we finally have a hole,” Lois quipped as workers broke ground and dug out the spot to prepare it for concrete. Last week, the concrete had been poured and posts for the structure were being placed as Parsons brought the bell back to the courthouse. He said it has been stored in the Brown County Jail for safekeeping.
While the project may have taken a bit of time to get going, it’s moving fast now.
“We’re scrambling,” Cobian said.
The goal is to complete the work in time for a public open house to showcase the new courthouse addition, likely in late November or early December, Cobian said.
“It’s going to be beautiful,” Lois Parsons said earlier this month at the groundbreaking. “This is where the bell needs to be.”
