Editor’s note: Frank Harding shared this history moment at the last Hooker County Historical Society meeting and is now sharing it with Tribune readers. The Hooker County His torical Society meets the last Thursday of every month at 7:00 p.m. at the Old Hotel. Everyone welcome.
St. Joseph Church Bell In the early 1900s Mullen’s St. Joseph Episcopal Church was built on a level sandy patch of ground east of the then downtown Mullen, on the block just south of where the west part of the Cedarview Cemetery is today. The church was built with a bell tower to house a very heavy cast iron bell that was cast in 1907. The church was completed and dedicated in 1911 and that bell was rung for church services for many years.
As the town of Mullen was developing more to the west, St. Joseph Church was becoming isolated by being near the cemetery, railroad items and the enlarging of the cattle shipping stock yards. So, in 1952 the church was moved to what is now the intersection of 1st Street and Blaine Ave. About 65 years later, due to the effects of moisture damage around the bell tower, one leg of the frame that held the cage which supported the heavy bell started to cave through the rotting wood of the roof so the bell could no longer ring. Without that being fixed, the entire bell assembly would come crashing to the main floor of the church.
Richard Licking came to the rescue by putting cables through and around the bell and tower and lowering the entire assembly to the ground. Now there is only a cross mounted on the south peak of the St. Joseph Church.
The bell was heavily corroded after hanging in the weather for over 110 years, but through the corrosion you could see that someone had written in green paint in letters about 12” high, the name “A HATCH.” A Mr.
Anthony Hatch is known to have donated a strip of land which is now known as the far east strip of the cemetery. I believe Mr. Hatch also helped build the foundation for the church in 1909.
Dan Rentfro cleaned up and polished the old bell so that it looked like new. Dan also made and installed a facility to hang the bell near the southeast corner of the church, so the old bell is being rung again.
It is a bit interesting to me that the old bells that have been in Mullen over 110 years, one that hung on a church just east of town and the other that hung on the west edge of town, are now able to be rung from buildings that corner on where Blaine Ave. and 1st Street cross. If these old bells could talk, think of the Mullen history moments they could tell.
Also please notice at the courthouse fire bell site, the iron bench, made of horseshoes welded together, sits under the bell and over a time capsule. This bench was made and donated by the late John Isom.
I would hope that whoever is president of the Historical Society in 2039, when we will celebrate Hooker County’s 150th year, will invite the Governor of Nebraska to come and ring these two old bells one more time. If he or she is a good politician, I am sure they will come.