AUTHENTIC ANTIQUE C. S. CO HILLSBORO CAST IRON 1 CHURCH SCHOOL FARM DINNER BELL
Item History & Price
Genuine AMERICAN MADE ANTIQUE C.S. BELL COMPANY# 1 FARM BELL COMPLETE w/ YOKE, UPRIGHT, CLAPPER, & CRANK ITEM: USMADE FARM, SCHOOL, DINNER BELLDATE of MFR: ... 1886CONDITION: EXCEPTIONAL VINTAGE / ANTIQUE CONDITION – ROPE IS MODERN BUT BELL & EVERYTHING ELSE IS 1886 - SEE PHOTOS of ACTUALMANUFACTURER: C.S. BELL COMPANYLOCATION of MFR: HILLSBORO, OH; OHIOMODEL: 1BELL DIAMETER: 14”; 14 IN., INCH, INCHESNUMBER PRODUCED: LESS THAN 5, 000 ORIGINAL #1 BELLSMADE ABOUT C.S. BELL BELLS:CHARLESSINGLETON BELL WAS BORN IN CUMBERLAND, MARYLAND ON FEBRUARY 7, 1828. AFTER COMPLETING A COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION CHARLESMOVED TO PITTSBURGH TO LEARN THE FOUNDRY BUSINESS FROM HIS UNCLE, ALEXANDERBRADLEY. AFTER RELOCATING TO OHIO YEARSEARLIER FOR A JOB OPPORTUNITY, CHARLES BEGAN HIS VENTURE IN TO BUSINESSOWNERSHIP ON JANUARY 7, 1858. C.S. BELL STARTED OPERATIONS IN HILLSBORO, OHIO WITH TWO EMPLOYEES AND A WEEKLY PAYROLL OVERHEAD OF $7.00. BELL’S COMPANY PROCESSED 8 TONS OF PIG IRONTHE FIRST YEAR. IT WASN’T UNTIL 1875THAT BELL BEGAN TO MANUFACTURE OF BELLS….CONFUSED YET? BELLSALES (ACTUAL BELLS SOLD NOT THE COMPANY NAME) FOR THE FIRST YEAR CAME TO AROUNDA 1, 000 UNITS. BY 1890, SALES HADINCREASED TO OVER 20, 000 UNITS WITH FIFTEEN DIFFERENT SIZES OFFERED. BELLS MADE BY C.S. BELL WERE DIVIDED INTO TWOCLASSES, FARM BELLS WEIGHING 40 to 100 POUNDS EACH, AND SCHOOL AND CHURCH BELLSKNOWN AS "STEEL ALLOY BELLS" WEIGHING 150 to 1, 000 POUNDS. THROUGHOUT THE EARLY YEARS MR. BELLEXPERIMENTED WITH VARIOUS METALS SEARCHING FOR AN ALLOY CHEAPER TO PRODUCE THANBRASS, BUT MORE DURABLE THAN IRON. AFTERMANY FAILURES HE WAS SUCCESSFUL AND DISCOVERED THAT HIS ALLOY COULD BE PITCHEDTO CREATE A VERY MELLOW TONE. IT WASTHIS TONE AND DURABILITY THAT MADE HIS BELLS FAMOUS AND ABLE TO LAST THE TESTOF TIME.
