The memories of a Burlington of days gone by is the town bell which stands alongside Central Library.
The bell was ordered by Town Council in 1894 to be used to summon volunteer firemen. It was later decided to use it as a town bell to be rung at 7 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. to signal the start of the work day, lunch hour and the end of the work day. To avoid confusion, the bell was rung vigorously to alert fires, and more leisurely when tolling the hour.
The first bell ringer, James Powell, was paid $50 a year. In later years the job was added to the duties of the Town Hall custodian. One of the last bell ringers was Arthur Turcotte, who lived at Elizabeth and Maria Streets.
The bell was hung in the bell tower of the Town Hall on the east side of Elizabeth Street, between James and Maria. In June 1916, council decided to join neighbouring municipalities in adopting Daylight Savings Time. However, opposition arose and, after two weeks the bell ringing was changed back to Standard Time.
When the Town Hall services moved to Brant Street in 1952, the bell was taken down and stored at the Boy Scout Camp north of Lowville. One night the bell was stolen, and police were notified. Later that night an officer on patrol noticed a car riding very low and stopped the car. There was the bell.
The bell was then stored behind the Works Department building until the early 1960s when a fund of $1,400 was raised by William Gilbert, Chairman of the Library Board, and the bell was installed at the side of the Elizabeth Street library in 1962.
When the new Central Library was built on New Street in 1970, the bell moved to the building’s front entrance, and the bell was rung to signify the opening. The bell was rung again in 2005 at the reopening of the renovated building. It remains on display outside the north entrance of the library.
