QR Code Tour #9 - Paul Revere Bell
Paul Revere was never in Milford and probably never even in New Hampshire but he lives on in our memories none the less. Hanging in the belfry of the Town Hall is our own original Paul Revere Bell No. 56 cast in 1802. There are many Revere Bells all over New Hampshire and New England but our bell is the only bell in New Hampshire remaining intact, never recast and never cracking.
It was a gift from Perkins Nichols of Boston and Amherst in honor of the ordination on October 13, 1802 of his friend the Rev. Humphrey Moore, Milford’s first settled pastor. The bell is inscribed ‘The Gift of Perkins Nichols Esq” on one side and “Revere & Son Boston 1802” on the other side. The bell is 30 inches high overall with a diameter at the shoulder of 16 inches and a diameter at the mouth of almost 33 inches. Weight is approximately 800 pounds.
The bell originally hung in the old Meeting House aka Eagle Hall and moved into the “new” town house in 1870. It was used to call the people to church, joyous occasions and the death of noted national and local citizens from1803 until 1833. Today it chimes the hour every hour and ads much nostalgia in the downtown area when it rings.
