CNBNews

By Ed Walens

Gloucester City built its first Fire Department headquarters in 1879 on Bergen Street – where the  police station is now.

The fire hall was built on a lot adjacent to the old City Hall, which is now the new City Hall.

After 1879, several fires took place without the knowledge of some firemen because there was no alarm bell to let them know.

Some concerned Gloucester City businessmen decided to approach City Council and ask that a fire alarm bell be placed in the tower of the fire hall.

The Councilmen liked the idea, and wasted no time planning for the installation of a fire alarm bell.

They purchased a large bell that would be heard in every corner of the town.

The alarm would be set off by electricity, and Council decided to put the bell in the City Hall tower because it was higher than the cupola on the fire hall.

City residents were very pleased with the new bell.

The firemen were beside themselves with excitement, and kept referring to the bell as a “she.” The bell became a female.

There was a city-wide celebration and christening ceremony on September 8, 1891, the day of the bell’s installation. “She” was placed in position in the City Hall tower at noon.

At the afternoon christening Martin Coyle, a Civil War veteran, broke a bottle of champagne on the bell and named her “Mary.”

During the christening, workmen were stringing wires from City Hall to the alarm boxes located in various sections of the City.

At 9 p.m. on November 16, 1891, the firemen and the residents of Gloucester City had a big thrill.

The alarm sounded for the first time for a fire on Ridgeway Street.

The firemen responded quickly, placed streams of water on the fire, and soon brought it under control.

The house belonged to a Richard Batezel and Thomas Popland, and the damage came to about $1,000.

For 49 years the alarm bell faithfully served the brave Gloucester firemen.

In 1940 the old City Hall and fire hall were torn down to make room for the new building there today.

The fire alarm bell was silenced, and a strange thing took place -- it vanished without a trace.

Another tangible piece of Gloucester was lost forever.

This is the final story of the “Bells of Gloucester.”

Some of the bells are still around, and a few belong to the ages.

They may not have been as famous as the “Liberty Bell,” or the bells of “Notre Dame,” but they served the people of Gloucester City well. Thank heaven residents still hear the magnificent bells of St. Mary’s ring out everyday.

And, thank heaven for the historians like Albert Corcoran, Harry Green, Louisa Llewellyn, Jack Corcoran and David Munn for putting Gloucester’s History into printed words.