What’s the story?
In 1777, as the British Army marched toward Philadelphia, the Continental Congress ordered the city’s bells—including the “State House Bell”—to be removed to prevent them from being melted down into cannonballs. The bells were hidden beneath a convoy of 700 wagons and transported 50 miles north to Allentown, passing through Quakertown and Bethlehem.The Liberty Bell remained hidden under the floorboards of Zion’s Reformed Church in Allentown for nearly a year and was sent home after the British retreated from Philadelphia in 1778.
During the 1976 American Bicentennial, the Lehigh Valley commemorated this mission with a reenactment. These series of photographs, taken by local resident Tamar E. Bair, document the festivities and parade.
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theme: Power of Placesubjects: Liberty Bell
contributing repository: Lehigh University
submitted by: Staff member
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