Kaskaskia Bell State Memorial, Historic bell memorial in Kaskaskia, Illinois.
The Kaskaskia Bell State Memorial contains a 140-pound bronze bell cast in La Rochelle, France, displayed in a brick building constructed in 1948.
King Louis XV of France presented this bell to the Catholic Church of New France in 1741, and it rang to celebrate American independence on July 4, 1778.
The memorial features detailed murals depicting key moments of Kaskaskia's development and maintains annual Independence Day ceremonies despite the bell's current condition.
Visitors can access the memorial from sunrise to sunset, press a green button to view the bell, and use a white doorbell for an audio recording about its history.
Floods in 1973 and 1993 affected the bell's structure, creating a crack similar to the one in Philadelphia's Liberty Bell, preventing it from being rung again.
Location: Illinois
GPS coordinates: 37.92270,-89.91470
Latest update: March 4, 2025 13:00
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