BROWN COUNTY
Duane Parsons swung the bell, ringing it for the audience.
COURTHOUSE BELL continued from 45
Local attorney Jim Roberts heard the bell ring in 1946 when the Lions Club and the local undertaker, Josh Bond, conducted a“ burial” of the town water pump to celebrate the opening of the first public water system in Nashville.
The bell refurbishment project was completed with minimal county funds as community members and businesses donated materials, money, and labor to make the project possible. Personalized bricks are also being sold which will be placed beneath the bell.
At the dedication ceremony, Wertz thanked Parsons.“ We would not all be able to celebrate this moment without the determination and hard work of Duane Parsons. When the bell was removed from the building in July of 2019, Duane committed to returning the bell to a place of honor on the courthouse lawn.
“ He spent countless hours rallying support, designing the structure, collecting donations, assembling a mostly volunteer crew of craftsmen and laborers, and cleaning the bell. He never gave up on the project.”
Then Parsons swung the bell, creating a sound that was five years in the making and that most in the audience had never heard before— the ringing of a piece of Brown County history. •
46 Our Brown County • March / April 2025 file photo
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