Show church bell has long history hyannis ill aunts mass blass Care carefully full y guarded in the fireproof flie proof courthouse of barnstable county in barnstable stands standi what Is believed to be the oldest church bell in the country it Is oy oxy dozed a bright green hut but plainly legible la Is the date of casting 1075 along with the latin inscription st sl deus delia pro quis contra nos DOS sit the bell Is hardly larger than those used on loco mothes today but its his tory Is nearly its as long as that of 0 the state of massachusetts tile the story handed down donn by word of mouth Is that in 1074 1674 a ship commanded d by capt peter was lost oft off sandwich and all hands drowned the people of barnstable gave the bodies cast up on shore a christian burial the next net year the captains widow sent the bell to barnstable in appreciation of checol the colonists kindness first it was ft as used as a church bell land and then transferred to the courthouse from there it announced thel stirring events of the revolution from the battle of lexington onward and retained its place until the building burned in 1826 the belfry fell outward so the chii bell wis was saved anil and was hung in the present courthouse when it was built early in the present century some boys who were ringing in the fourth of july rather overdid overbid the busi business noss and the bell was cracked it tiled was placed in the law library for permanent preservation |