The Liberty Bell was successfully recast in Philadelphia in 1753.
Pennsylvania officials ordered the bell in 1751 for the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall. It arrived from London in 1752, but the first test caused the rim to crack. Local founders John Pass and John Stow melted the bell down and cast it again.
The first recasting produced an unsatisfactory sound, so Pass and Stow recast it a second time. The successful version was completed in June 1753 and bears the names of the two founders along with the year in Roman numerals. Its inscription comes from Leviticus 25:10 and calls for liberty throughout the land.
The bell became an independence symbol much later than its manufacture. Stories connecting it directly to the 1776 Declaration are largely retrospective, and there is no firm evidence that it rang on July 4. Its association with American freedom grew especially during the 19th century.