Tremont Nail Factory signs, bell removed from building

Mar 29, 2022

The sign and bell tower atop the Tremont Nail Factory were removed by the town’s municipal maintenance department on March 16, and the town may later display the ancient bell in the Town Hall auditorium, Community Preservation Committee Chair Joan Kinniburgh said Tuesday morning.

The signs and wooden cupola are now in storage, the committee chair said, and the bell sits in the basement of Town Hall. Kinniburgh said Town Administrator Derek Sullivan plans to move the bell to the auditorium so members of the public can see it.

She said that the signs and cupola will be evaluated for possible restoration. 

Kinniburgh shared information about the history of the bell, which reads “G.W. Coffin & Co.” on one side.

The foundry where the bell was created, according to the information Kinniburgh shared, was called the Buckeye Bell Foundry, owned by George W. Coffin. The Cinncinati-based foundry operated in the mid-19th century under various ownerships up until 1950.

The committee asked Select Board for approval for a request for funds to remove the sign in mid-February. At the time, Sullivan said removing the signs would require a large crane, and costs could range from $16,000 to $18,000. The motion to apply for CPC funds was approved at the Feb. 15 meeting.

Kinniburgh said Tuesday morning that Community Preservation Act funds were not used to remove the materials. Sullivan confirmed this Tuesday night, as he said in an email that the cost to remove the bell and signs was approximately $4,700 and came from the municipal maintenance budget.