The Bell Tower

Bell tower located outside the church with wooden beams and a geometric design against a clear blue sky.

The church’s iconic bell, purchased in the late 1800s, was rediscovered in 1976 after decades of being forgotten in the attic. The church restored the bell and installed it in a new tower. The bell still rings out every Sunday morning, calling our community to worship.

Bell Tower History

Our church was founded as Forrestville Baptist Church. The congregation met on Kingston Avenue at the site of what became the North Rome School and is now the North Rome Swim Center.
The church moved to the corner of Calhoun Avenue and South Reservation Street.
The church purchased the current location. During the following years the church building was built and then expanded and remodeled several times. The church had a steeple, and in the late 1800s or early 1900s the congregation purchased our current bell from Goulds Manufacturing Company in Seneca Falls, New York.
The church changed its name to North Rome Baptist Church.
The church renamed itself Third Baptist Church.
The church renamed itself for the fourth (and final?) time—North Broad Baptist Church.
The church building was enlarged and bricked. As part of the remodeling, the steeple was removed from the top of the church. The bell was lowered into the church attic onto the rafters of the sanctuary where it would sit unused and forgotten for decades.
During the building of our current sanctuary, Frances Rutland, the daughter of former pastor Oscar Rutland, told James Meeks that the old church bell might still be in the church attic. James and his son Joe climbed into the attic and found the bell. Before the old sanctuary was demolished, the bell was lowered through the ceiling and saved. The church added a bell tower for the front of the church when architectural plans were drawn for a new sanctuary.
The church dedicated the current sanctuary on September 12, 1976. Members gathered around the bell tower outside the sanctuary at the end of the service, and the bell was presented to the church. After 47 years the bell finally rang again to call the community to worship.
The bell tower was taken down on December 16 due to rotting in the base.
The church unanimously approved reinstalling the bell tower on July 17 and initiated a fundraising campaign. The legs of the new tower were ordered and delivered under the guidance of Haskell Perry and Roy Echols. The old bell was restored. The tower was painted and installed.
The church dedicated its new bell tower on February 17 with the original bell back inside. Once again our 100-plus-year-old bell rings out each Sunday morning calling our community to worship.