How to Hang a Liberty Bell

My wife and I recently celebrated our anniversary, and my parents gave us one of the coolest presents I've ever gotten: a "Liberty Bell."

Fortunately this one doesn't have the iconic crack on the original...

...so it still rings. I'll prove it in a video at the end of this post... but first a little history.

Since it's been awhile since my grade-school history lessons about the bell, I looked the story up online. The original bell hung in the first meeting-place of Congress, which is known as Independence Hall. It was rung to call the delegates to meetings.

During the lead-up to the Civil War, it became a symbol for abolitionists who wanted to "Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof" (which is what's inscribed on the original bell).

Since I don't have an Independence Hall of my own, I decided to hang it on the corner of our barn, which is the first thing visitors see when they drive into our property. I pondered all sorts of ways to mount it, but in the end, I decided to put it on a simple bracket.

First I built a bracket from three pieces of 2x4, screwed together. Here's a front and side view to give you an idea of how it worked.

Next I pre-drilled three bolt holes in the front of the bracket to match the location of the pre-cast holes in the bell's mounting assembly. Then I screwed the bracket to the barn wall.

It worked beautifully. Press PLAY to hear the bell ring.

Do you have a special little project like this that could use a handyman's help? I'm always glad to hang a bell, install a light, put up a porch swing, or do the other small jobs that make a "house" into a "home."

Yes, I want to get my projects done!