A Friday Visit with Jim Korkis: The Liberty Bell
By Dave Shute
Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians and author of Jim’s Gems in The easy Guide, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.
THE LIBERTY BELL IN LIBERTY SQUARE
By Jim Korkis
One of the most iconic representations of the early history of the United States originally rang from a steeple in the Pennsylvania State House (now known as Independence Hall).
The Liberty Bell was commissioned from the London firm of Lester and Pack (Whitechapel Foundry) in 1751 and displayed the phrase “Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” The phrase was from The Book of Leviticus (25:10) in the Bible.
The bell’s purpose was to summon lawmakers to legislative sessions and to alert citizens to public meetings and special announcements.
The City of Philadelphia turned over the custody of the bell to the National Park Service in 1948. The bell was moved to a nearby glass pavilion on Independence Mall in 1976 and then to the larger Liberty Bell Center in 2003.
One of the things that changed over the years at the Magic Kingdom was the entrance to Liberty Square from the Hub. In 1971, the Court of Flags representing the original 13 states led guests to the old Concord Bridge, where the colonial forces faced off with the British in 1775.
In 1991, those flags were relocated to surround the Liberty Bell that had been installed in 1989. The entrance to the land was rebuilt with the brick walls, plaque and guardhouse that are familiar today. Stanchions now fill the holes where the flagpoles once stood.
The bridge led to a public square that would still seem somewhat similar to guests visiting the park today. The double-stacked Admiral Joe Fowler Riverboat leisurely plied the Rivers of America starting on October 2, 1971.
It would be joined by the single stack Richard Irvine Riverboat in 1973 that is now called the Liberty Belle. Irvine was the WED Imagineer who was in charge of the attractions, while Fowler was in charge of supervising construction inside the park.
During the Bicentennial Celebration of the U.S. Constitution at Walt Disney World in 1987, one of the temporary displays in Liberty Square was an authentic reproduction of the original Liberty Bell loaned from the Mount Vernon Memorial Park and Mortuary of Fair Oaks, California through June of 1989.
However, Disney guests loved seeing the reproduction and taking photos with it so to provide a permanent display, Disney Show Properties and Interiors purchased a new replica. It was cast by Paccard Fonderie of Annecy, France using the original Liberty Bell mold. The new bell took its place of honor just before July 4, 1989 where it remains to this day.
The bell was made primarily of copper but also contains tin, lead, zinc, arsenic, gold and silver. It stands eight feet high, including stock, and weighs two and a half tons. The word “Pensylvania” was an accepted alternative spelling for “Pennsylvania” and appears on the original bell. Alexander Hamilton also used that spelling in 1787 on the signature page of the United States Constitution.
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Thanks, Jim. Come back next Friday for even more from Jim Korkis!
In the meantime, check out his books, including Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew
, which reprints much material first written for this site, and The Vault of Walt: Volume 4, and his contributions to The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit, all published by Theme Park Press.
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