Which London foundry cast the Liberty Bell for Pennsylvania in 1752?
Answer
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry cast the Liberty Bell for Pennsylvania in 1752.
The Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly commissioned the bell from the London firm then known as Lester and Pack. The bell arrived in Philadelphia in 1752 and was intended for the tower of the Pennsylvania State House, now Independence Hall.
The first casting developed problems, so Philadelphia founders John Pass and John Stow recast the bell twice. Their names appear on the bell alongside the famous inscription drawn from Leviticus: “Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof.”
The object was originally called the State House Bell or Old State House Bell. The name Liberty Bell became popular in the nineteenth century, especially after abolitionist groups adopted the bell as a symbol of freedom.