Courthouse Bell dedication ~ story and photos by Amy Huffman Oliver
A
300-pound piece of history was returned to the Brown County courthouse after being locked up in the local jail for the past five years.
Brown Circuit Court Judge Mary Wertz led a dedication ceremony on December 8, 2024, to commemorate the return of a 147-year-old bronze bell to a visible place of honor on the lawn of the historic courthouse. Local officials, two former judges and community members were on hand to hear something only heard by a few living residents— the ringing of the courthouse bell.
The current courthouse is the third courthouse structure on the prominent corner at the center of the village of Nashville. In 1837, the county built the first courthouse with logs. The building referred to as the“ Old Log Jail” was built at the same time and still hosts visitors as part of the Brown County Historical Society Pioneer Village Museum.
In 1855, a two-story brick courthouse replaced the log building which was the was sold and re-purposed as a stable. In 1873, when the brick courthouse burned to the ground, the county re-built it in 1877 for a cost of $ 9,000 using portions of the walls that remained. The unique metal staircase on the north face of the building and the tower that housed the bell still stand today.
Although the history of the courthouse building is well-documented, little is known about the bell itself. Recent efforts by volunteers at the Brown County History Center archives failed to find any information about who designed or forged the bell or how much it cost.
Most bells have an engraving of the name of the foundry where it was cast, according to community member Duane Parsons, who spoke at the dedication ceremony. But this bell has no marking indicating its origin.
44 Our Brown County • March / April 2025