ALLENTOWN, Pa. — After months of fruitless negotiations, the Liberty Bell Museum is set to move out of its longtime location on Hamilton Street in Allentown.
But its centerpiece — a replica of the Liberty Bell — is set to remain at the church, Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong said.
- The Liberty Bell Museum will move its artifacts to the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum
- The museum could not agree on a lease with the new owners of its location on Hamilton Street
- The Lehigh County Historical Society is planning a “brand new, extensive” exhibit for the Liberty Bell Museum’s artifacts
The Liberty Bell replica, a full-size representation of the bell, is owned by the state, so it can't be moved out of Zion’s Reformed United Church, where it’s been on display for decades, Armstrong said.
The rest of the museum’s artifacts, however, will be taken several blocks east to the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum, operated by Lehigh County Historical Society.
Saturday, April 1, is the Liberty Bell Museum’s last day at the church, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The museum shared the news online, writing, “No, this is not an April Fool’s joke.”
“Now we’re under the gun to have everything moved out,” Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong said.
‘We’re keeping the museum’
Armstrong played a key role in finding a landing spot for the Liberty Bell Museum after its negotiations with the church’s new owners fell through, according to Joe Garrera, executive director of Lehigh County Historical Society.
“This might not have happened without [his] encouragement and support,” Garrera said.
“The Liberty Bell has an important history in Allentown, and it has an important place in American history. The Liberty Bell helps to give people a sense of perspective and their place in time in the evolution of the United States as a country.”Joe Garrera, executive director of the Lehigh County Historical Society
Armstrong said he reached out to Garrera and the historical society after hearing the Liberty Bell Museum was having trouble agreeing on a lease that would keep it in the church, now owned by Resurrected Life Community Church.
“I know a lot of other people didn't want to touch this with a 10-foot pole … but I just had to intervene on this,” Armstrong said. It's "maybe not the best solution, but it’s a solution. And we’re keeping the museum.”
Armstrong taught social studies for more than 40 years in Whitehall Township schools. He said the Liberty Bell replica and the museum’s other offerings are “such an important part” of Lehigh County’s history because they show the role the region played in protecting one of America’s most iconic artifacts during the Revolutionary War.
During the war, the actual Liberty Bell was moved from Philadelphia to Allentown and hidden deep in the church from September 1777 to June 1778 to keep it safe from the British Army.
Garrera said it’s “crucial” to keep the Liberty Bell Museum in the Lehigh Valley.
“The Liberty Bell has an important history in Allentown, and it has an important place in American history,” Garrera said. “The Liberty Bell helps to give people a sense of perspective and their place in time in the evolution of the United States as a country.”
It’s important for people of all ages to learn history because it “helps us to understand where we've been, where we've come from and where we're headed,” he said.
“And it helps us to gauge and understand and calibrate our own progress.”
‘Extensive’ exhibit planned
The Liberty Bell Museum's board met for several hours Monday and decided the fate of its artifacts and future in the Lehigh Valley, according to Armstrong and Garrera.
The board first voted down a proposal to turn the museum’s assets over to Resurrected Life Community Church, which is taking over the property, the officials said.
Museum board members then approved a proposal to send the artifacts to the Lehigh County Historical Society for display at the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum at 432 Walnut St.
The historical society is planning a “brand new, extensive exhibit” to display the Liberty Bell Museum’s artifacts, Garrera said, cautioning it likely will take at least six months to design and build.
Though the Liberty Bell replica cannot be moved from the Hamilton Street church without state approval, the Lehigh County Historical Society could look to buy another replica to display at the Heritage Museum, Armstrong said.
The county executive is now working to secure funding to pay for the Liberty Bell Museum’s move.
The Liberty Bell Museum's popular Pip the Mouse show also will be moved to the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum this holiday season, according to the museum's website.
