• Source: Freedom Bell, American Legion

      • Freedom Bell, American Legion, is a public artwork located at Union Station in Washington, D.C., United States. A replica of the Liberty Bell, Freedom Bell, American Legion was surveyed as part of the Smithsonian's American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database in 1985.


      Description


      The sculpture is a 2:1 scale replica of the Liberty Bell. The bell, which was cast by Petit & Fritsen, weighs 8 tons and has a support structure of post and beam style with two concrete shafts. Set into the paving in front of the bell is a plaque that reads:

      The Freedom Bell
      Dedicated to
      The Spirit of the Bicentennial
      on Behalf of
      The Children of Our Nation
      Given By
      The American Legion
      And
      American Legion Auxiliary
      1981


      History


      The bell, a Bicentennial gift from the American Legion, is a model of the bell on display at the American Legion Headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. Authorized by Congress on October 12, 1976, it was cast outside of the US because no foundry had the capacity to cast the bell.
      When the bell was completed it was shipped to Baltimore and then traveled to all 48 contiguous states aboard the American Freedom Train for the Bicentennial, starting on April 1, 1975, in Wilmington, Delaware, and ending December 31, 1976, in Miami, Florida. The bell shared train car No. 41 (later renumbered 40) with a map of the American Freedom Train's journey and a lunar rover. From 1977–1978 the bell was placed in National Park Service storage until lengthy discussions led to an agreement and the bell was placed at Union Station in 1981. The American Legion, who hoped for placement at the National Mall, were unhappy with the bell's placement.
      In 2024, the bell was covered with graffiti by pro-Palestinian protesters calling for Intifada and the dismantlement of the State of Israel and the United States, which coincided with a speech to the U.S. Congress by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.


      Artist


      The details of the casting were handled by I. T. Verdin Company of Cincinnati, Ohio. Jack Patrick served as associate architect for the sculpture and Allen J. Wright Associates created the post and beam support for the bell. The iron work was completed by Fred S. Gichner Iron Works.


      See also


      List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 6


      References




      External links



      The Story of the 1975–1976 Bicentennial American Freedom Train
      The bell on Liberty Bell Museum
      dcMemorials American Legion Freedom Bell Archived December 16, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
      Freedom Bell on HMDB Archived August 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine

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