June 15, 2007

Into the Magic Kingdom

As I entered the Magic Kingdom I started thinking about some of the things I wanted to do, by this time I and pulled out by live entertainment schedule and realized I had missed Chief Miller, but I saw that Piano Man Jim would be doing a set too, and since one of the things I wanted to go do was take pictures of the Liberty Bells sign. I had written and article Liberty Square: Then and Now for the All ears Newsletter, and later realized I had made a mistake in some of the information on the Liberty Bell so I wanted to get as much information about it as I could and I knew there was a sign next to the Bell with a lot of information on it, so I knew I wanted to head over to Liberty Square I also wanted to get some audio for my podcast and I saw that piano man Jim was about to start a set, so I went to Caseys Corner.

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Above: Piano Man Jim playing one of the sets of material I lost due to technical difficulties.

I don't remember most of what I lost but one song Jim played was "I found a Million Dollar Baby in a Five and Ten Cent Store" Jim first played it as a faster paced rag then when I asked him the title at the end of the song he told me a little about the song, went back and played a slower arrangment of it, and even sang a bit of the lyrics. While I was listening to Jim I looked around at the crowds, it certianly seemd that it was appropriatly more busy, as it should be in June, than on my December trip. I also got to see the Horse Drawn carriage and omnibus going up and down Main Street a few times, I learned later that the carriage is being used while the trollies are out of service for the track maintainence work which is ongoing.

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After Jim was finished with his set I started to head towards Liberty Square, but then the pre-parade started to come through and I started back around to get a photo of it (I remember a fe of the old-time Main street vehicles were there and some characters, but I never did get a shot of it it was more or less gone by the time I got back around. Once again I headed off to Liberty Square since folks were lining up for the parade I went in the "back way" via the bridge over to the "quiet area" which is back near the bridge to Adventureland.

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Above is the aforementioned sign although clicking on it will get you to a larger version that is probably large enough to read if you follow this link 15lg/bellsign.jpg, it will take you to a more cropped in version which should be even larger. Still, heres the text:

The Liberty Bell

The Province Bell was the name first used to describe me. I was orderd from the English bell factory of Whitechapel in 1751 by the Pennsylvania Assembly. I was to be part of the celebration which would commemorate the 50th anniversary of William Penn's Charter of Privliges signifying the founding of Pennsylvania.

Soon after being brought to America from England it was decided to test me for tonal quality. For this purpose I was hung from the notch of a tree and struck. With the first stroke of the clapper I sang out a glorious note. However, with the second stroke I cracked and then gave off a terrible sound.

Two Philadelphia metalworkers, Pass and Stow, melted me down, added more copper and recast me. I was now an American bell, though everything about me was the same as the first bell, including the inscription "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land and unto all the inhabitants thereof" and "By Order of the Assembly of the province of Pennsylvania for use in the State House in Philadelphia."

People now knew me as the State House Bell. At first my only duty was to call the legislators to assemblies. However, as English rule became more and more intolerable I was used to summon people together to discuss and protest issues they considered unfair.

I was muffled as a symbol of protest and tolled slowly when the Sugar Act of 1764 and the Stamp Act of 1765 were passed into law. I continued to toll for the First Continental Congress in 1774. The time I remember best was July 8, 1776, when I summoned the citezenry for the reading of the Declaration of Independence. It was during this era of unrest that I became known as The Bell of Independance and The Bell of Revolution.

During the Revolutionary War I was wildly rang to signify each victory and muffled and tolled slowly to announce each defeat. The people could judge the success of the war effort just by the way I was rung. I became so important to the people that when Philadephia was invaded by advancing British forces, I was taken to Allentown, Pennsylvania and hidden in the floorboards of a church so the British wouldn't find me. After a year in hiding, I was returned to the State House in Philadelphia . On September 3, 1783 I was rung joyously to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Paris which ended the war between Great Britan and the United States.

After eighty years of almost continual use, I was rung to mourn the death of Chief Justice Marshall on July 8, 1835 and cracked. In 1846, I was rung for the last time to comemorate George Washingtons birthday. Although I can no longer be actually rung, I still occupy a special place in American History. The Herald of Freedom, and the Liberty Bell are the names by which I am best known today; and perhaps these are the name which best describe me, for when the freedom and liberty of the United States hung in the balance, my voice was used to rally the people to the cause of Liberty.

Cast from the same mold, this bell is a "Second generation" of the Original bell that hangs in Philadelphia. It was cast for WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT in 1989.

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Above: I took several shots of this plaque before I got one I liked, the text reads:
For over two Centuries, the Liberty Bell has Symbolized Liberty to most of America. Cast from the same mold, this bell is a "Second generation" of the Original bell that hangs in Philadelphia. It was cast for WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT in 1989

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Above and Below: can you guess what state I'm from?
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By the time I got those photos the parade was begining to stream by, I realized that I had not yet put on any sun screen so I went up the boardwalk in front of the stores and found a bench that was not occupied and sat down antd took care of that as the parade finished up I noticed a few cast members with motorized vacum cleaners so I snapped a few photos of those and a movie as well.

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last updated 19-Jul-2007 12:48 AM