The Bell Tower

The Bell tower stands in the center of Placerville, California. It stands as a monument to the volunteer firemen of the city. It was placed in the plaza in 1865 as an alarm system to alert the firefighters. The bell tower is still used as a gathering place for people of the city and visitors today.

Where the bell tower stands in Main Street the area is also known as 'The Plaza'. There were three major fires in 1865 in Placerville which wiped out the majority of the business section, this called for the need of an alarm system to alert the volunteer firemen. The bell was ordered from England, and from the time of ordering, to the shipping and erection of the bell, the total cost was $380.00.

The first tower was a wooden tower that was built in 1878; in 1898 a steel structure replaced the wooden structure. The tower rose 50 feet from a concrete square base that was 11 foot square, a drinking fountain was placed in the center of the concrete. On top of the tower were cast-iron ornaments such as a weather vane and a miniature bronze fireman that held a red globe which contained an electric light.

The tower was presented to the city on September 8, 1898 on the Admission Day celebration. The tower was moved to Cannon Hill in 1911, but the bell could not ring due to electrical difficulties resulting in the bell being returned to the plaza in 1912. A car struck the tower in 1965, which almost toppled the bell.

A decision was made in 1969 to renovate the bell tower which included an electric siren as the bell had been made silent. The Bell Tower has been the center of life in Placerville, with people gathering for occasions such as dances or speeches and the long standing tradition of decorating the tower for 4th of July celebrations.