If you had happened to pass through downtown Harriston on Monday this week, you would have been privy to the return of the Old Post’s historic bell atop the building. We were blessed with an unseasonably warm and sunny November day.
Four months to the day it was removed (for repair and reconstruction of its frame), the 1,200 lbs. bell has turned to its final resting place on the The Old Post roof.
Big thanks to Tony Hale for capturing the play-by-play!
Matt O’Dwyer stopped by around 4:00 p.m. with his crane to help us put some major pieces of the puzzle in place.
The new frame for the bell was constructed on the ground, and the roof of the frame was made to temporarily detach from main structure and lift separately. We raced up the stairs to receive the bell house roof.
We then wrapped the straps around the original skylight to be removed. Here it is on the ground after a safe dismount:
Next was the new skylight still in its packaging crate.
Due to the weight of the bell we attached a cable directly to its eyebolt, and let the bell shoulder the weight of the structure for the trip up to the roof.
Saving the best and most important component to the end, the bell was on its way to its final resting place.
With it being so heavy, we made sure to position it perfectly in its prepared final resting spot.
Once the bell house was in position, the roof was craned over and fitted onto the structure. When it snapped into place a high five was in order.
We would like to thank everyone for all of their help and continued interest in this project. Keep your ears open for the bell to ring again on the regular in the coming weeks!
