The 225-pound bronze bell cast to commemorate Jacksonville’s bicentennial will debut June 7 Downtown during Art Walk.
The public unveiling is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. in the promenade in the Main Library at 303 N. Laura St., according to a news release from the Jacksonville Historical Society.
After the unveiling, the bell will be on display at the library until a permanent site is chosen.
More than $30,000 was raised from 38 donors during 2022 in honor of Jacksonville’s 200th anniversary to have the bell fabricated by the Verdin Company in Cincinnati and shipped to Jacksonville, the release states.
The Bicentennial Bell was the combined idea of the Jacksonville Historical Society and Aaron Gibson-Evans, a Riverside resident whose family goes back five generations in Jacksonville.
“Jacksonville is the oldest city in Florida of the modern era, factually predating admission to the Union. I think it’s important we set a statewide precedent of tasteful and timeless landmarks for future generations,” Gibson-Evans said in the release.
The bell will be the centerpiece of a monument to the city’s milestone. The historical society said money still must be raised for the next phase, site location and preparation, engraving markers and installing the bell.
Donors at the individual/family level of $1,000 or business level of $2,500 will be recognized with a permanent inscription of their choosing on the monument and acknowledged at the unveiling, the release says.
Visit jaxhistory.org for more information.