Dedham Historical Society & Museum’s Paul Revere bell is continuing its journey as part of the traveling exhibition “Beyond Midnight: Paul Revere,” an exhibit that opened at the New-York Historical Society in Manhattan. It is currently at the Worcester Art Museum, the second venue. With the temporary closure of the art museum, the exhibit has been extended through September 2020; check WAM’s website for reopening details. The final leg of the journey, to Crystal Bridges Museum in Arkansas, has been cancelled becuase of COVID-19.
For details on the WAM exhibit visit https://www.worcesterart.org/exhibitions/paul-revere
WAM exhibition caption:
Paul Revere Foundry, Active 1792-1801
Courthouse bell, 1798
Cast bronze
In 1792 Revere made his first bell—and the first ever to be cast in Boston. During his time in the bell-casting trade, most bells consisted of copper alloys. The metals in the alloy, however, varied depending on each bell maker’s closely guarded formula. Revere seems to have subscribed to the superstition that adding a small amount of silver would produce a sweeter sounding bell. This courthouse bell, smaller than most church bells, was made for the Norfolk County Courthouse in Dedham, Mass., and was used to announce the opening of court sessions.