Getting a Church Bell

On Jan.1st, 1860 the eldermen F. Kahlhöfer & Christian Trachte wrote and gave reasons for the acquisition of a church bell: “Every properly living christ in our community has already longed for the possession of a community church bell. How beautiful it is,when the bell rings a last „Good Bye“ at a funeral --- how vivid becomes the idea in us, how long we shall have the grace before the bell will call us to the grave!”

May the bell make up those peoples´ mind to pray who are lazy .„God may be willing to make each inhabitant feel the meaning of a bell, and, by this each inhabitant may be glad to pay his part to the honour of the Lord, because there is no merit but God´s alone!”

The community will ask the Gustav Adolf Union for still missing money. In Jan. 1860 a collection took place. The collection list with all the contributions are still present:

	Rtl. = Reichstaler	Sgl.
Witwe Schalk u. Johannes Fr. Behle	20
Johannes Pöttner u. dessen Vater Matthias	1
Christian Schalk	4	2
Christian Kramer	1	15
Carl Gräbe	2
Johann Potthof	4
Joh. Friedrich Behle v. Michels	1
Joh. Friedrich Schnautz	1	15
Heinrich Schüttler	4
Friedrich Kalhöfer, Dommes	10
Christian Trachte	4
Friedrich u. Christian Kalhöfer v. Berghöfer	4
Lehrer Emde	1	15
Johannes Trögeler	1
Schäfer Wilke	1	10
Bernhard Behle	4
Christian Biederbick	-	15
Christian Emde	1	10
Joh. Friedrich Kleine	1
Christian Schnautz u. Georg Lamm	1
Henricus Wittmer	1
Christian Stremme Chaussewärter	-	15
altogether	70	7

Collected in January 1860. Collectors: Eldermen Friedrich Kalhöfer, mayor and Christian Trachte assistant.

Already on Apr.23 rd,1860 a contract will be written containing delivery and other conditions between the community and the bell founder H. Humpert.

The bell´s weight will be 120 pounds. The community will pay 20 Reichsthaler per 10Pds.

How they managed to hang up the bell and where the bell´s first location was is still unknown. After having built up the “Old School” it is said to have been rung at a wooden scaffold nest on the school building. From 1929 an electric motor rings the bell in a small tower on top of the former school house. Exceptionally, in connection with funerals, the bell´s clapper is moved by hand („klepping“).