A (new) bell tolls for community at Malden Declaration Day

By Anne D’Urso-Rose

The sounds of liberty rang out in Bell Rock Park on May 27, echoing a tradition rooted deep in Malden’s history. One of the country’s oldest continuously used public spaces, Bell Rock Park was once home to a bell that marked both the ordinary and extraordinary moments of community life. It called residents to worship, town meetings and market days, tolled in times of loss, and in 1776 summoned Malden’s minutemen as they joined the fight for American independence. 

The “new” bell is a restored 150-year-old church bell, purchased from the Verdin Bell Company of Ohio. Weighing 2000 lbs and engraved with the final words of the “Malden Instructions” on one side and a drawing of a Minuteman on the other, the bell was unveiled at the annual Malden Declaration Day ceremony. The event commemorates Malden’s early assertion of independence from Great Britain in advance of the thirteen colonies’ declaration on July 4, 1776.  

“We long entertained hope that the spirit of the British nation would once more induce them to assert their own and our rights and bring to condign punishment the elevated villains who have trampled upon the sacred rights of men and affronted the majesty of the people. We hoped in vain; they have lost their spirit of just resentment; we therefore renounce with disdain our connection with a kingdom of slaves; we bid a final adieu to Britain.”
— Excerpt from “Instructions for a Declaration of Independence from the Town of Malden, Adopted May 27, 1776

“Malden was all in, no matter what.” Mayor Gary Christenson said in his speech at the gathering. “That is who we were then, and that is the spirit that continues to define us today.” 

The bell, funded through the Adelaide Breed Bayrd Foundation, was presented with great fanfare. While permanently displayed as a historical monument rather than a functioning town bell, eventgoers were given the opportunity to strike it with a ceremonial mallet and hear it “ring.”

Young musicians from the William Diamond Junior Fife and Drum Corps kicked off the ceremony. Local Beebe School students re-enacted the events leading to the Boston Tea Party through an engaging “Readers Theater” presentation coordinated through Malden Reads. Historian and re-enactor Tom Coots read the Malden Instructions aloud in period costume. The Malden Public Library and the Malden Historical Society, in collaboration with the City of Malden, were instrumental to the coordination of the festivities.  

If you missed the ceremony, make your way to Malden’s historic Bell Rock Park and visit the new monument. Imagine a time when a bell was the community’s central means of communication and the tree-shaded park served as the town square. Such an experience might invite visitors to consider how communities change over time while the need for connection, participation, civic engagement and shared ideals remains.