The Liberty Bell was cast in 1752 for the Pennsylvania State House.
The Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly ordered the bell from the London firm Lester and Pack. It arrived in Philadelphia in 1752, but cracked during an early test ringing. Local founders John Pass and John Stow recast it, adding their names to the bell.
The inscription around the bell comes from Leviticus 25:10: “Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof.” The wording made the bell an especially powerful symbol during later commemorations of American independence.
The popular story that the bell rang on July 4, 1776, is not supported by contemporary evidence. The bell did ring for public events, but its famous crack probably developed gradually and became prominent after an 1846 ringing. Today it is displayed at the Liberty Bell Center in Philadelphia.