Before it became the symbol featured in America250 history, the Liberty Bell was called the State House Bell.
The bell was commissioned for the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia, the building now known as Independence Hall. Its official inscription comes from the biblical book of Leviticus and calls for liberty to be proclaimed throughout the land. The bell was cast in London and arrived in Philadelphia in 1752.
The name “Liberty Bell” became popular much later, especially through abolitionist publications in the 1830s. Earlier references generally described it as the State House Bell or the Old State House Bell. Its connection with independence grew over time, even though historians cannot prove that it rang when the Declaration was adopted on July 4, 1776.
The bell’s famous crack also has a complicated history. It was repaired and recast early in its life, and its large final crack developed sometime before 1846. The bell is now displayed in the Liberty Bell Center in Independence National Historical Park.