1915 Liberty Bell At Ephrata

The Historylink Website has a piece on the visit of the Libery Bell to Seattle and surrounding area. Here is a snippet from that site:

On July 14, 1915, the Liberty Bell -- one of the United States’ foremost symbols of freedom and independence -- visits Everett, Seattle, and Tacoma en route to the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. The bell traveled the country by train, greeting throngs of joyous well-wishers in towns along the way. The crowds in Washington state are no exception.

Beginning in the late 1800s, the Liberty Bell was often displayed at exhibitions throughout the country as a way to heal the rift caused by the Civil War. By the 1900s, concerns were raised over transporting around by train the already cracked bell. The 1915 tour, which began on July 4, would be the bell's last. It has remained in Philadelphia ever since it returned.

The trip west took it straight across the Midwest, then north to Idaho and into Washington. The Liberty Bell went to Everett, and from there to Seattle. Crowds in Everett were so immense that the trip to Seattle was delayed by almost an hour, so that everyone could get a glimpse.

It had to get to Seattle by going through Ephrata, so here it is at Ephrata on July 13, 1915.


Note that the bell is visible on the flatcar between the flags.