The bell, the building and the mystery
Sandpoint residents pose for a photo outside the old Sandpoint City Hall — now housing the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint in this undated picture from the Bonner County Historical Society and Museum.
(Photo courtesy BONNER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY & MUSEUM)
A 1915 photo shows what the old Sandpoint City Hall looked like when a cupola on top of the brick building housed a one-ton bell. Music Conservatory of Sandpoint, which now owns the building, is searching for the bell in an attempt to bring it home.
A photo of the old Sandpoint City Hall building showing the structure after the removal of the cupola and bell, which were removed in the winter of 1951-'52.
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SANDPOINT — Some say the bell was carted off to Spokane and sold for scrap.
Others swear the bell survived the trip and is now at home somewhere in that Washington city's Sprague Street area, its former life in Sandpoint long forgotten.
The search for the bell began when Music Conservatory of Sandpoint board members and staff learned of its possible existence.
Heather Upton, executive director of the Bonner County Historical Society and Museum, and Dan Evans had researched the old City Hall building's history and were excited to share it with MCS officials.
"When I met with Kathi Samuels, board president and [MCS] director Karin Wedemeyer, I could not wait to share the story of the bell with them," Upton said. "Immediately the consensus was that we just had to find the bell and bring it back to its rightful home."
As the new owner of the building, located at Second and Main, the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint is currently in the process of undergoing historic renovations to the 109-year-old building. The museum, which is partnering with MCS by providing historical research as officials embark on their renovations, did extensive research into the cupola which once sat atop the old City Hall building and the bell.
As renovation continue, Upton said there have been a lot of discussion about the bell and bringing it home but that's where its mystery deepens. No one knows just where it is or what happened to it.
"The bell, with its cupola and belfry, was removed in the winter of 1951-'52," Upton said. "The cast bronze bell alone weighed one ton, and the removal of the entire structure relieved about 8 tons of weight from the top of the building."
Which rumor is true — if any of them — the museum is helping MCS officials try to track the historic bell down and bring it back to Sandpoint so it can be reinstalled, Upton said.
Upton said her research, along with that of Dan Evans, showed Sandpoint officials starting moving their offices into the then brand-new brick building in February 1911. The building cost $21,000 to build — including $325 for a large bronze bell.
At the time, City Hall housed the police station, jail, and fire station, including stables for the horses that pulled the fire engine, Upton said.
"The bell was originally intended as a fire signal," she said. "Twenty-seven locations throughout the city each had a unique alarm that would toll from the bell to alert residents and firefighters of the fire’s general location."
In addition, the bell had a number of other uses, including serving as a curfew signal for children to head home. In the early days, that meant 8 p.m. in winter and 9 p.m. in summer, with curfew being extended to 10 p.m. The bell also rang for special events and celebrations such as the ending of the first and second world wars.
"The last time it rang was during a fundraiser to build the Bonner General Hospital, ringing each time $1,000 was collected," Upton said.
If anyone has any information about the original Sandpoint city bell, they are asked to contact the Bonner County Historical Society & Museum at 208-263-2344 or info@bonnercountyhistory.org.
