When was liberty bell built

So when did the Liberty Bell get its famous crack? According to one of many stories, it first cracked back in , during the visit of the Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette.

Another story holds that it fractured later that year, while tolling to signal a fire. One of the most popular legends claims that the bell cracked during the funeral of Chief Justice John Marshall in , but newspaper accounts of the funeral do not mention such an incident. The circumference around the crown measures six feet, 11 inches and the circumference around the lip measures 12 feet. The Liberty Bell is composed of approximately 70 percent copper, 25 percent tin and traces of lead, zinc, arsenic, gold and silver.

The Bell is suspended from what is believed to be its original yoke, made of American elm. In , the United States celebrated the Centennial in Philadelphia with a display of replica Liberty Bells from each state. The Liberty Bell pre-dates the Revolution.

The Pennsylvania Assembly had the Liberty Bell made in to mark the year anniversary of William Penn's Charter of Privileges, which served as Pennsylvania's original Constitution. What is written on the Bell? No one knows today when the Bell was cracked. The crack is a big subject of debate among historians. One theory is the Bell got its first crack in when it was tested upon its arrival in Philadelphia.

The Liberty Bell rang often during its functional lifetime. There are two other bells in the park today, in addition to the Liberty Bell. The Centennial Bell, made for the nation's th birthday in , still rings every hour in the tower of Independence Hall. It weighs 13, lbs. That bell is currently in storage. Did you know the Liberty Bell was named by abolitionists fighting to end slavery? For closed captioning of this video, please visit www. Explore This Park.

Independence National Historical Park Pennsylvania. Info Alerts Maps Calendar Reserve. Alerts In Effect Dismiss. Dismiss View all alerts. The Liberty Bell.