MBC News File Photo
A major piece of Arnprior history has been preserved and dedicated.
The town’s fire bell used to notify the Arnprior Volunteer Fire Department about a fire in one of the town’s five wards. The bell would ring and the amount of tones of the bell would indicate which ward the fire was located in.
In the late 1960s, renovations came to Arnprior’s town hall and at that point the bell was removed and displayed next to the front door. Then years later, it was moved to a structure near the bridge, which eventually became unsafe and had to be torn down. At that point, the bell moved to the maintenance yard where it lived until recently. Arnprior councillor Ted Strike says he’s been pushing for the bell to have a permanent home.
Now located at the Arnprior Fire Hall, it’s important to make sure items like this are saved to remind people of the legacy Arnprior has in the valley. Chief Rick Desarmia of the Arnprior Fire Department says fire services are dedicated to the town and it’s history.
The bell now has a beautiful home on a stone pad outside the fire hall with an inscription reading:
“This monument is dedicated to all firefighters, past, present and future, for their dedication to protecting this community. This cast-iron bell, originally located in a tower at Arnprior’s Town Hall, built circa 1888, was sounded to alert volunteer firefighters of the day to respond to fire emergencies. Though this bell no longer sounds, firefighters continue to rush to its current location to respond to emergencies within this community.”
(Written by: Bob Kubbinga)
