What was the name of the oversized Liberty Bell replica cast for the 1976 Bicentennial?
Answer
Bicentennial Bell
The oversized Liberty Bell replica cast for the 1976 Bicentennial was called the Bicentennial Bell.
The bell was made in 1976 at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London and presented to the United States by Queen Elizabeth II. It weighed 12,000 pounds, approximately six times the weight of the original Liberty Bell.
The replica was installed in the tower of the visitor center once intended to house the Liberty Bell. The original Liberty Bell itself was moved to a glass pavilion near Independence Hall as Philadelphia prepared for the Bicentennial and later moved to the Liberty Bell Center in 2003.
The Bicentennial Bell is easy to confuse with Philadelphia’s original Liberty Bell or with the Centennial Bell made for the 1876 Centennial Exposition. The Centennial Bell commemorated 100 years; the Bicentennial Bell commemorated 200 years.