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Falvey
Memorial Library houses the Liberty Bell’s “Sister Bell”
Heather E. Linde ‘04
 The
Liberty Bell may represent freedom for all Americans, but what does its
“Sister” bell represent to Villanovans? Serving as the university
bell in early Villanova history, this bell represents something even more
to American-Catholics. As described by George H. Eckhardt in his book,
Pennsylvania Clocks and Clockmakers, the bell signifies “a little
unknown story…which is an epic of the enduring principle of freedom
of worship in America.”
The infamous “Sister Bell,” a companion to the Liberty Bell,
sits tucked away among study tables and bookshelves on the second floor
of Falvey Memorial Library, its permanent home.
In March 1754, Agent Robert Charles ordered a new bell from the Whitechapel
bell foundry in London, England, the same company that cast the Liberty
Bell. This new “Sister Bell,” originally intended to replace
the cracked Liberty Bell, possessed very similar features to the older
bell. Therefore, instead of replacing the Liberty Bell with the newer
model, both bells were hung in the Pennsylvania State House (Independence
Hall) in Philadelphia. While the Liberty Bell rang on special occasions,
the Assembly attached the Sister Bell to the State House clocks.
In 1830, city officials began renovations on Independence Hall. Olde St.
Augustine Church bought the “Sister Bell” and displayed it
in its chapel belfry. However, the bell suffered damage when the church
was set on fire by anti-Catholics in 1844. Part of the bell was salvaged,
recast three years later, and sent to Villanova for safe keeping. Apart
from a brief relocation to St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church in Jamaica,
Long Island, the bell remains displayed in the Falvey Memorial Library.
The bell served the university several times during its early history.
At the centennial observances, celebrated by His Eminence Dennis Cardinal
Dougherty, Archbishop of Philadelphia, the bell rang to open the ceremony.
In 1954, during Villanova’s Development Program, the university
held an exhibit at Gimbel’s department store in Philadelphia, featuring
the “Sister Bell” and models of the projected new buildings
for campus.
The bell has remained on campus since its short visit to Alvernia College
in 1987.
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