Displaying the Liberty Bell

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“When did you move the Bell inside?”

“Last time I was here, I remember seeing the Bell outside.”

The answer to these commonly asked questions and comments (that park rangers hear every day) are not as straightforward as you might think. Over the years the Liberty Bell has had many homes:

The Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall) in 1778. The Liberty Bell hung in the steeple from 1753 to 1777.

An engraving based on detail from a painting by Charles Willson Peale as published in the Columbian Magazine, c. 1790.

When the Bell was cast in 1753, it was not known as the Liberty Bell. It was commonly referred to as the State House Bell. Intended as a communications device, it was hung in the tower of the Pennsylvania State House—the building we now call Independence Hall. It remained there until 1777, when it, along with other bells in the city were hidden away during the British occupation of Philadelphia. Upon its return to the city in 1778, the Bell was placed in the brick section of the Independence Hall tower, where it remained for the remainder of its working life, cracking for the final time in February 1846.

The Assembly Room of Independence Hall in 1856. The Liberty Bell on display on a large pedestal with an eagle mounted on top.

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After the Libery Bell cracked it was removed from the tower and displayed in the Assembly Room of Independence Hall where both the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were signed. Surrounded by portraits of the founding generation, original furnishings of the room, and artifacts from the time period—it was displayed as a relic of the nation's revolutionary past.

The Liberty Bell in St. Louis, 1904

Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2005677968/

Beginning in 1885 and continuing periodically until 1915, the Liberty Bell traveled across the nation by rail, makings stops in large cities and small towns for various expositions, World Fairs, and commemorative events. These journeys allowed millions the opportunity to see the Liberty Bell. Following its final return to Philadelphia in 1915, the Liberty Bell was placed on display in the stair hall of Independence Hall, where it would remain for decades.

Visitors crowded around the Liberty Bell inside Independence Hall.

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In the years following the establishment of Independence National Historical Park (1948), the volume of visitors coming to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall steadily increased. As the nation approached the Bicentennial celebrations in 1976, National Park Service officials grew increasingly concerned about the potential damage that could be done to Independence Hall, especially to the small space where the Liberty Bell was displayed. To alleviate these concerns, plans were made to relocate the Liberty Bell to its own building on Independence Mall.

The Liberty Bell leaving Independence Hall (left). Workers installing the Liberty Bell in its new building (right).

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At the stroke of midnight on January 1, 1976, amid a driving rainstorm, thousands of wet onlookers braved the freezing rain to watch the Liberty Bell move from Independence Hall to the brand-new Liberty Bell Pavillion.

Exterior (left) and interior (right) photos of the Liberty Bell Pavillion, 1979.

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Located on Market Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets, the Liberty Bell Pavillion was a modern glass and structure, capable of accommodating thousands of visitors per day. Even though the building was fully enclosed, the lighting on the Liberty Bell often had many visitors believing that it was displayed outside. The Liberty Bell remained on display in this building from 1976 until 2003.

The Liberty Bell in its current location

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In 2003, twenty-seven years—and millions of visitors—later, the Liberty Bell Pavilion was showing its age. The Liberty Bell was moved yet again, on October 9, 2003, to the Liberty Bell Center—where it currently resides. This fully modern structure welcomes even more visitors than the Pavilion. Extensive exhibits strive to tell the complete story of the Liberty Bell. The Bell Chamber showcases the Liberty Bell directly across the street from its original home, Independence Hall. More than one million visitors from all over the world visit the Liberty Bell Center every year.