Revere Bell (Singapore)

Revere Bell (Singapore)
Location
Location	Singapore
History
Cast by	Revere Copper Company
Physical dimensions
Width	89cm
Height	81cm

The Revere Bell was a gift to Singapore by Mrs. Maria Revere Balestier, the daughter of Paul Revere and wife of the first American Consul to Singapore, Joseph Balestier. Cast by the Revere Copper Company in Boston, Massachusetts, it is the only Revere bell outside the United States. The bell is 81 centimetres (32 in) in height and 89 centimetres (35 in) in diameter with a clapper underneath.

History

The bell was given to St. Andrew's Church in 1843 by Maria Revere Balestier, the daughter of Paul Revere and wife of the first American Consul to Singapore, Joseph Balestier, on the condition that the bell would be used to sound a curfew for five minutes at 8:00 pm every night. ^{[1] [2]} Back then, it was unsafe during night, with warnings sounded to remind sailers to return to their ships and for residents to be vigilant. ^[1] The curfew bell rang until 1855 when the church was demolished, and was resumed when the second church (which became St. Andrew's Cathedral later) was constructed in its place in 1861 until it was permanently discontinued in 1874. ^[1]

The bell remained in the church until 6 February 1889, where it was replaced by a new peal of bells presented from the family of Captain J. S. H. Fraser ^[3] and subsequently put into a Public Works Department storage in Kandang Kerbau. ^[4] In 1911, it was installed in St. George's Garrison Church in Tanglin Barracks. However, after it became irreparably cracked it was moved to a Royal Engineers storeyard. The Raffles Museum, now the National Museum of Singapore, learned of the bell in September 1937, and took custody of it after the Anglican Archdeacon of Singapore, Graham White, donated it to the museum. ^[5]

Since then the Revere Bell has been displayed the National Museum, apart from a period between January 1997 and May 2006 when the bell was loaned to the United States Embassy in Singapore while the museum was being renovated. During that time it was showcased behind velvet ropes in the foyer of the Embassy. ^[6] The bell, now in the museum's Singapore History Gallery, has been called a symbol of the friendship between the peoples of Singapore and the United States. ^{[6] [7]}

• 
  The Revere Bell on display at the National Museum of Singapore in February 2015. The inscription of the bell is: "Revere, Boston 1843. Presented to St Andrew's Church, Singapore, by Mrs Maria Revere Balestier of Boston, United States of America".
• 
  Due to irreparable cracking of the bell (bottom right of the photograph), it was placed in storage until 1937 when it was donated to the Raffles Museum, now the National Museum of Singapore

See also

• Balestier Road
• Revere bells

References

1. Hooi 1976, p. 1,9.
2. Liu 1996, p. 173.
3. Lee 1990, p. 27.
4. Anak Singapura (15 April 1937). "NOTES Of The DAY". The Straits Times . p. 10. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
5. "Balestier bell finds a home". The Straits Times . 17 October 1937. p. 5.
6. Patricia L. Herbold (18 May 2006). Revere Bell Ceremony: Remarks by Ambassador Patricia L. Herbold (Speech). National Museum of Singapore: United States Embassy in Singapore. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014.
7. George W. Bush (16 November 2006). Remarks by President George W. Bush (Speech). National University of Singapore: United States Embassy in Singapore. Archived from the original on 26 November 2006.

Cited works

• Liu, Gretchen (1996). In granite and chunam : the national monuments of Singapore. Singapore: Landmark Books and Preservation of Monuments Board. ISBN   9789813065031.
• Hooi, Christian (1976). The Revere Bell and the Balestiers. National Museum.
• Lee, Edwin (1990). Historic buildings of Singapore. Preservation of Monuments Board.

Further reading

• "How a Revere bell came to Singapore". The Straits Times . 5 April 1983. p. 8.
• "Notes of the day – St Andrew's bell". The Straits Times. 15 April 1937. p. 10.

External links

• Infopedia article