The many bells that were located around town all had a different sound and everyone could recognize any one of them when it rang and know what it was ringing for, weather it be for court in session, a Masonic Lodge meeting, or maybe church time. In the old Methodist Church, there was a bell for church time, but there was a rope that hung outside the door that anyone could reach and it was fixed somehow to the tapper. It was fixed like that so the rope could be jerked fast and the tapper would only hit one side of the bell, making it ring real fast and that was the fire alarm for the town. The fire bell, as we called it, was recognized by everyone and taken seriously. I don't ever remember anyone ringing that bell unless there was a fire and I would bet if anyone had been caught clowning around with it, they would have been in a heap of trouble.

(c) copyright by Melvin "Bubbie" Martin 2001