A piece of Linfield College history has been restored and will be unveiled Friday, Oct.12, at 11:30 a.m. in Fred Meyer Lounge in Riley Hall at Linfield College.
The Linfield Victory Bell was cast in steel in 1859 by Naylor, Vickers, and Co. in Sheffield, England. The bell was shipped to McMinnville where it hung in the town’s education building until 1883 when Pioneer Hall was constructed. From the original building to Pioneer Hall, the bell rang for more than 100 years. It signaled athletic victories and successful college fund drives. The sound of the bell was heard throughout all of McMinnville.
In the fall of 1961, a small crack was discovered in the side of the bell and it sat silent for over 10 years. It was removed from the bell tower in the early 1970s and taken to the field beside Cozine Hall. In the mid-1970s, Bob Wells, a member of Linfield’s maintenance staff, rediscovered the bell and moved it to the basement of Larsell Hall.
This move was the beginning of a long journey for the Victory Bell. From Larsell, the bell moved to the former brick plant by Potter Hall. It was then taken to the facilities warehouse on campus where it was rediscovered in spring of 2012 by Jeremy Odden, Linfield sophomore and archives technician.
For more information, contact Rachael Woody, college archivist, at 503-883-2734, rwoody@linfield.edu.
