For Whom the Bell Doesn’t Toll Coryell Courthouse bell still silent

In 1940, author Ernest Hemingway wrote the classic novel, “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” These days, that title may have an opposite meaning for the residents of Gatesville and could be titled For Whom the Bell Doesn’t Toll.

For the past several months, the bell atop the Coryell County Courthouse has remained silent. This fact has been noticed by many businesses on the courthouse square and those living in nearby neighborhoods. The courthouse bell which has announced the hour and half hour for well over a century recently fell silent due to what has been described as a malfunction in the clapper mechanism – a metal rod with chain links that, over the years, have worn through. According to the Senior Maintenance Technician at the courthouse, Todd Pierce, the problem of the bell not striking lies in the very small attic area just above the bell where the hammer has come apart due to the worn chain links. Due to the precarious location above the bell, Pierce said that “safety precautions must be in place due to the dangerous conditions of the repair work.” It has been estimated that the work on the bell tower will begin in a few months.

Concerns over the bell were first aroused in 1986 when D.W. McDonald, chairman of the Coryell County Historical Commission, voiced concerns about the likelihood that the 2,000-pound bell could come crashing through the courthouse dome and fall three floors to the rotunda below. In 1986, that was a very unrealistic view considering there are two floor levels just below the bell before reaching the ornate courthouse dome. Due to mounting concerns about the bell and, after being inspected by stress engineers, it was decided by the commissioner’s court to silence the bell due to the weakening of the tower housing the bell. In a May 1, 1986, issue of The Gatesville Messenger, a headline read “Courthouse Bell is Ordered to Close” after local television media reported on the topic.

The current courthouse was constructed between 1896 and 1897. A $1 million courthouse restoration project was begun in 1986 after authorization was granted by the county commissioners. In 1988, William Blankenship, a nationally and internationally known opera star, and former native of Gatesville, held a benefit concert to help with the restoration efforts on the courthouse. In a letter to the historical commission, Blankenship wrote “I cannot imagine being in Gatesville without hearing that wonderful reassuring sound of the courthouse bell at all times of the day.”

Following the courthouse restoration process, the bell began chiming once again when the courthouse was rededicated in 1998 after contractors performed their most “sophisticated magic” by beginning in the bell tower where they installed braces and beams taking the bell out of harm’s way.

Pierce said that it would be a few more months before parts could be received for the current repair work. In the meantime, the tolling bell will continue to be missed by many downtown businesses and neighboring residents.