In a recent column, we wrote about the bell that sits in front of the Key Biscayne Presbyterian Church, also known as the Crossbridge church. That bell sounded seven times the evening of January 27, 1973, to mark the ceasefire that would end the United States’ involvement in the War in Vietnam. President Nixon was in attendance at the church services that evening.
After that piece appeared, we were contacted by longtime Key resident Jim Clayton, who provided us with additional information about the bell. We also consulted with a long-serving elder of the church to learn more details.
The bell was cast in Massachusetts in 1848, by G. H. Holbrook, whose father had been an apprentice of Paul Revere. It originally hung in a belfry above a woolen mill in Gonic, New Hampshire. For over a hundred years, the bell tolled the mill’s shift hours, marking the rhythms of the day for the people who worked there.
The Gonic Mill developed a national reputation for producing high quality textiles. Wool from the mill earned gold medals at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 and the Saint Louis World’s Fair in 1904. During World War II, the mill made blankets and fabrics for the U.S. Navy.
In 1961, the bell was brought to Key Biscayne. The mill owner, Fulton Rindge Sr., had recently moved to the Key, and he became active in helping to establish the Key Biscayne Presbyterian Church. He served as chair of the building committee and thought the bell would be a welcome addition, hoping it would serve “as a ringing reminder that today’s leisure for men and nations rests on yesterday’s toil.”
Among Rindge’s many contributions to the church, he developed a tape-recording ministry. He had observed that many international visitors came to the church to worship, and he wanted to find a way to stay in touch with them once they returned home. So each week, he and his team made tape recordings of the services and mailed out copies to such farflung locations as Korea, Sweden, England, Germany, Australia, and Tanzania.
The “Rindge Bell,” as it was named, was first mounted in a low stand near the church entrance. During an extensive renovation campaign in the 1980s, the bell was removed and stored behind the church building, where it remained until about ten years ago.
Today the bell rests atop a low platform in front of the church for all to see and appreciate. The next time you find yourself walking or bicycling along Harbor Drive, stop by and have a look.
The church hopes to install benches and a small garden near the bell and perhaps restore its original housing. A historical plaque that has details about the bell’s history was recently located and it, too, may be restored and reinstalled.
Our thanks to Jim Clayton for calling attention to the bell’s rich history. Jim first started visiting the Key in 1955 and has lived on the island since 1964.
For the last Lighter Side column, click here.