When the Richmond Community Historical Society meets Tuesday at 7 p.m., it will finalize plans for its open house to be held Memorial Day.
Visitors to the Crew House Museum on Main Street will be able to tour the facility, which includes the ever-developing Jefferson Union High School memorabilia room upstairs, but even before they walk through the door, they'll likely see something different for the first time or get an explanation of what it is and where it came from.
They can even ring it.
Article Photos
Near the old bell from Mount Tabor School recently acquired by the Richmond Community Historical Society are, top photo, from left, historical society members Tom Grimm, Lee Kinney, Bart Meade, President Phil Judy; Pete Kvocka; Mark Bordash of Cryogenic Construction; Milan Kvocka; society member Don Swickard; and Rex Burriss.
That would be the black bell to the left of the front steps - a bell that originally was atop the old Mount Tabor School located on Mount Tabor Road, county Road 56.
The bell constitutes the museum's latest acquisition and even though it's not from Richmond per se, close enough, says historical society President Phil Judy, who was contacted about having any interest in the bell by his friend Pete Kvocka of county Road 43.
Kvocka had had the bell stored in his barn on the family farm for more than 60 years.
The school apparently closed in 1940 or 1941, and Kvocka's grandfather and father - Milan Kvocka and Dmitar Kvocka - bought it and tore it down.
"They basically bought the building for the materials because of the war. The nails were used on the farm," Pete said.
Judy said he and Tom Grimm, a historical society member, went to look at the bell and decided it lent itself to being at the museum's entrance.
"This is a good place for it. It's highly visible," said Judy, who noted that the work to have the bell readied and put in place was a collaborative effort that involved restoration work, for instance, donated by Mark Bordash of Cryogenic Construction. Masonry work was handled by Rex Burriss.
"A lot of it was volunteer work," Judy said
The informal dedication of the bell recently brought out two area residents who remembered the bell from their school days at Mount Tabor School - Jean DeMarco and Peg Taylor, the Clark sisters.
They recalled fond memories of their days at the school, which accommodated students in grades one through eight.
