“Ring in the New Year” on the Town Bell
The Westfield Historical Society is holding the fourth annual “Ring in the New Year” raffle fundraiser where the 1st Prize Winner will Ring the Town Bell 24 times to mark 2024 at midnight on New Year’s Eve (plus other great prizes). The Town Bell is located at the Reeve House.
The raffle details are as follows: 1st Prize: Winner rings the Westfield Town Bell (at the Reeve House) 24 times to ring in 2024 at midnight on New Year’s Eve; plus a $100 dining certificate, a bottle of Champagne, and complimentary 2024 Family Membership to the Westfield Historical Society; 2nd Prize: $100 dining certificate; 3rd Prize: Three Westfield History books.
The ticket price is $20 each and the drawing will take place at 12:00 noon on Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, at The Reeve House, 314 Mountain Ave. (winners need not be present at the time of drawing).
To purchase tickets, please call or email the office at (908)654-1794 or westfieldhistoricalsociety@gmail.com; or, mail your request to: Westfield Historical Society, P.O. Box 613, Westfield, NJ 07091. Tickets can also be requested via Venmo to @Westfield-HistoricalSociety. Please provide contact information so ticket/s can be mailed (and for winner notification!). Please request tickets prior to December 12, to be included in the Dec. 17th drawing.
The Westfield Town Bell originally hung in the Prospect Street School from 1869 to 1921 where it also served as the town’s fire bell. The bell rang at armistice and at the end of WW I. From 1922-1985, it hung in the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Chapel’s steeple and subsequently became property of the Presbyterian Church which later donated it to the Westfield Historical Society. During 1993-1994, it was restored with funds raised by the Westfield Historical Society (with the help of Jack R. Panosh (Town Bellmaster), Ralph H. Jones (Town Historian) and Richard Edge, of the Westfield DPW) for the Westfield Bicentennial in 1994. It was originally made by Vickers Sons & Co. Limited, Sheffield [England] in 1869 of cast steel.
For many years, the bell was displayed and rung during the Westfield Memorial Day parade and stored by the Westfield Historical Society. In 2019, a stone monument was erected by Alexander McGrail for his Eagle Scout Award project. The monument currently displays the bell on the grounds of the Reeve House. A roof and column structure has since been built by the Society to protect the bell for future generations to enjoy.
Since 1968, the 501(c)(3) non-profit Westfield Historical Society has worked to preserve, interpret, and encourage interest in history, Westfield, and its residents through educational efforts and community outreach programs.
For more information on the Westfield Historical Society and their events, visit http://westfieldhistoricalsociety.org; follow on Instagram and like on Facebook.
