First Baptist Church Bell Is Ringing Once Again Repair and Restoration Completed

By KEN HAMWEY,

Contributing Writer

Bellingham’s first emergency alert system — the 189-year-old bell that resides in the steeple of the First Baptist Church — has been repaired. 

The bell, which is indirectly linked to Paul Revere who warned, “The British are coming!’’ as the Revolutionary War got under way, was rung on Sundays. But its sound also was heard on other days to alert the community of an emergency. Back in the 1800s, the bell basically informed residents that a 9-1-1 response was underway.

 The historic bell at the First Baptist Church was cast by George Holbrook, an apprentice to Paul Revere.

The church, which was built in 1826 by Malachi and Appleton Ballard of Medway for $2,600, added the bell in 1833. The bell, which is 36 inches wide and 28 inches high, underwent major restoration in 1988, thanks to Bellingham’s Russell Chase and Ernest Godbout, who each volunteered 40 hours on its repair.

Now, 34 years later, the historic bell again has been repaired — on two fronts. Its cradle had deteriorated, making the bell unsafe to ring, and the support beams for the bell tower needed to be reinforced with old growth Douglass Fir. The cost of the project was $17,000.

The bell was lifted off its cradle and all the deteriorated wood was replaced. Then, new hardwood was installed in the cradle to improve its structural integrity, and in addition, the bell wheel that holds the pull rope for the bell was rebuilt. 

“Chris Burgess and his crew from Burgess Steeplejacks did an outstanding job in helping to preserve this historic structure,’’ said Dick Reynolds, chairman of the church’s Building and Grounds Committee. “Also, we’d like to thank Ralph Geyer of the Building and Grounds Committee for supervising the project.’’

The church, which is the fourth oldest Baptist congregation in Massachusetts, got some help from residents to defray the cost. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the church, like so many other small congregations, experienced a significant decrease in giving. 

“I was truly humbled to see the amount of support from the community concerning our bell,’’ said Baron Rodrigues, the pastor of the First Baptist Church for the last 15 years. “In the midst of a pandemic, when people were isolated and separated, it was heartwarming to see how our Heavenly Father brings us all together. I want to thank those who graciously gave to our restoration project that allowed us to finish months ahead of schedule. And now, we as a church and community, are being blessed again with the beautiful sound of the bell.’’

Jim Hastings, chairman of the Memorial Day and Veterans Day Committee, is pleased the bell will play a role in next May’s Memorial Day ceremony. 

“As I’ve said many times, Memorial Day is not about a barbecue, games or even our Memorial Day parade,’’ said Hastings. “The most important part of the day is to pay tribute to the men from Bellingham who made the ultimate sacrifice on the many battlefields at home and around the world.

“Each year, during our ceremony, we’ve been reading aloud each name of those brave warriors. Next year, along with taps, the church bell will ring to honor each individual name.  Thanks to the First Baptist Church, its historic bell will ring as a respectful, final honor for their service and sacrifice.’’

An inscription on the bell is very telling. It reads: “Cast by G.H. Holbrook, East Medway, Mass.’’ That indicates the link to Revere.

George Holbrook learned bell founding (melting metal into a mold) and clock-making as an apprentice to Revere, a master craftsman best known for his famous Midnight Ride and for his silver-smithing. Holbrook, who was born in 1767 in Wrentham, maintained a long friendship with Revere until his death in 1846. 

Receiving only a limited education in public schools, Holbrook learned to be a machinist and clock-maker during his apprentice time with Revere. After serving with the Massachusetts patriot, Holbrook began manufacturing bells and built a successful business in Brookfield, Mass. The design of his bells was similar to Revere’s, making the bells highly sought after by collectors. After Holbrook left Brookfield for Laconia, N.H., the foundry operated under the management of Holbrook family members until 1880, when it closed.

Holbrook left a legacy as one of the first bell manufacturers in American history, with an estimated 11,000 bells cast at his establishments and sent to all parts of the United States, British Provinces, Mexico and the Sandwich Islands. 

The 189-year-old bell at the church, which celebrated its 275th anniversary in 2012, is a testament to Holbrook’s skill-set. 

The church, which played a major role in leading the fight for religious freedom during the Revolutionary War, had some key leaders in its early history. 

Noah Alden, the second pastor of the church, was a third-generation descendant of John and Priscilla Alden of Plymouth. Alden rarely gets credit for devising a disguise for his cousin, Deborah Sampson, the first woman to serve in the military in the Army’s First Mass. Regiment and saw battle in Albany, N.Y. When her identity was revealed, she was discharged in 1783 and given a pension of $4 a month.

Alden, who was a delegate to the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention, later served as a religious adviser to President John Adams, who hailed from Quincy.

John and Aaron Leland were members of the First Baptist Church, and after they left Bellingham for Virginia, John Leland served as a religious adviser to James Madison, the nation’s fourth President. 

Links to some of our nation’s founding fathers give the First Baptist Church a rich history. And, its bell, with its majestic sound and its history, is indeed revolutionary.