The Story Of The Bell
The bell is now a symbol of preservation of Richardsville's history.
Photo of Vince Barber and Grandson at July 5th 2008 Richardsville and Community Reunion
Vince headed up the Richardsville School Bell restoration project and also had help from:
Darrel Hidinger
Vince Barber (Painting, designing supplying materials, and building display skid)
Mike Bayley (Sand Blasting services)
Baker Automotive in Brookville Pa. (Supplying Paint)
The Story Of The Bell
It is thought to be the only school bell ever used in any of the Richardsville School buildings
The First building known to be used as a school at the top of the hill, was also used as the Band Hall, as well as the Presbyterian Church. It was a very small, one room, one floor building, but it was a board building, not log construction, and had a full peeked roof. This would have been "state of the art" in the township if it was operational pre 1860's. Rural school records of pre 1860 speak of very primitive log structures with paper windows if any windows at all.
Richardsville came to be in the early 1800's, and as with many small pioneer communities, a church was one of the first public buildings built, and they were almost always used as a school house too. But since records are almost impossible to find giving actual information on this building we will probably never know when this building was first used as a School/Presbyterian church. Efforts have been made to contact the Presbyterian church head quarters to find out, and they respond as having no record of a church or Cemetery in Richardsville.
This building sat below Moore Bridge road at the the same corner, to the left of the stop sign at the top of Richardsville hill. As population grew in the area, a second building was built up on what is now the Community Center lower parking area. Both buildings were used at the same time, but it is hard to tell just how long.
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The Second building is the beginning of the bell story.
This was a modern two story building, board sided, with lower grades on the first floor, the upper grades were upstairs. Many of Richardsville's Grand Parents and Great Grand Parents attended that school. It was heated by pot belly stove, wood and coal. It had no running water, and boys and girls outhouses stood behind the building. That building is thought to have been built well before the turn of the century based on records found dating 1989, also since the photos of it around 1918 show a well weathered building. Although it is not known when the bell was first hung above that school, it is strongly suspected to be near 1918, when the first records of the Warsaw Township School Records we have begin. There is no mention of purchasing a bell after that date, or anything about it. Also inside the bell is what is thought to be a casting date of (xx xx 18) Someone needs to email me the exact date please, but I do know it was 18.
That building is also long since gone, only old photos, as well as recollections by some of its students included in this web site. That is where the bell first rang until it was removed and mounted in the new school in 1923 when governmental control mandated more consolidation to more central, regulated and larger schools. (I am sure someone has the names of the people who moved the bell to the next school for use, I will add that information here when I receive it. I suspect Terk Beatty knows)
The third school building at Richardsville
This school building was opened in 1923 and operated until 1954 when further mandated school consolidations and easier student transportation to Brookville caused the closing of this school.
Some time after the schools closing it is thought that Mr. Paul Rhines bought the old school and property then donated it to Richardsville, to be used as a community center. In 1997 the bell was removed and continued to sit quietly, protected by the Richardsville Community Center Bord members. (Add names of people who lowered the bell for storage here as soon as posiable)
Then in 2008 an agreement was made with the Richardsville Community Center to have the bell remounted and preserved for display at the 2008 Richardsville Community Reunion.
The bell is now a symbol of preservation of Richardsville's History.
Shown here Left to Right: Danny Long, Vince Barber and Mr. Mack Cable, Mack is 93 years young. Mack opened the 2008 Richardsville Community Reunion by ringing the old bell!
I would like to add the names of the people who 1st re-moved the bell from school #2 for use in school #3, also the names of the people who removed the bell from school #3 in 1997. anyone with this, or any other information, please forward it to me. I would also like to share other photos here of the reunion if anyone would e-mail them to me.