PHOTO OF THE DAY: VIEW OF FAIRVIEW

Pictured is the Fairview School, which is believed to be the second home of a bell now on display at Heritage Hall Museum & Archives. Here’s what the museum said about it in a Facebook post shared Monday.

Believed to have originally hung in the Zion Mennonite Church (Spitziche Kirche) that was destroyed in a storm in 1902, the bell was moved to the Fairview School where it called class to order until it closed (both buildings were southeast of Freeman). Orville and Audrey Waltner bought the bell at the school auction and it remained on their farm until they moved. It was recently brought out of storage to be cleaned and become part of our school display.

The 30-inch diameter cast iron bell with yoke is well over a hundred years old and trust me, when it was rung the sound must have echoed across the countryside! It can be seen (and rung!) Monday-Saturday 10-4.