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Aug 27, 2008 6:25 pm US/Central
Historic Bell Stolen From 1-Room School
(WCCO)
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The heist wasn't easy since the cast iron weighed more than 200 pounds.
CBS
A one room schoolhouse just north of the Twin Cities is missing something that would once signal the beginning and end of the school day. Its school bell has been missing since Friday.
The Spencer Brook Premiere School in Isanti County is 150 years old and the school just celebrated its sesquicentennial this summer.
Kathy McCully, the Executive Director of the Isanti County Historical Society, said she can't believe the bell is gone.
"People have way too much time on their hands," McCully said. "I don't know how desperate you have to be to take a 150-year-old school bell."
Since the building is so high they believe it's possible the thieves used a lift to get on the roof. Once they were up there they damaged the copula and put a hole in the roof before making off with the bell.
The heist wasn't easy since the cast iron weighed more than 200 pounds. The bell is about 18 inches in diameter and the same in height. The historical society believes it is possible the bell will be sold for scrap metal.
The organization is working to restore the building -- fixing the foundation and now getting a new roof and security system.
John Lavander's father and grandmother went to school in the one-room schoolhouse and he vows not to let what's gone silence the school's stories.
"We just want our bell back," Lavander said.
There's a $500 reward being offered for information on the stolen bell's whereabouts.
If you know anything call the Isanti County Sheriff's Department at (763) 689-2141.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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