It had stood guard in front of the Highland County Historical Society’s Highland House Museum for more than 50 years with no more damage than Mother Nature’s normal wear and tear. But then less than 90 days apart the C.S. Bell bell stationed in front of the museum was involved in two traffic accidents.

For the past 10-plus years the 48-inch, roughly 2,000-pound bell has been the centerpiece for a ceremony in front of the museum ringing in the new year. But the past two years that ceremony has been placed in question after the traffic accidents while repairs were being made. The bell was re-placed for the second time on Thursday, just before the New Year ceremony like it was a year ago.

“It stood there for about 50 years untouched, then in the last couple years it’s become a target,” joked John Willis, the historical society’s building and grounds chairman.

The most recent of the incidents occurred in early February of this year and involved the driver of an AEP truck, westbound on East Main Street, T-boning a Jeep and knocking it off the road and into the bell, according to reports.

Around three months before that incident, the bell was in damaged in November of 2022 when a man fleeing law enforcement struck it with a vehicle.

While the iconic, 48-inch bell was not damaged in the first incident, its base was, along it its wheel. However, with the assistance of four local men — Steve Holland, Tyler Ryan, Justin Harsha and John Willis — the base was repaired and a brand new wheel constructed just in time for the bell to ring in 2023.

For several years the bell was painted gold, but when it was unveiled Thursday it had been repainted black.

Willis said he’s repaired several C.S. Bell bells through his years of employment with the Harsha Monument Company and when they are returned to the owner most of them are painted black. So, he decided this one would be best in black, too.

The second accident in February caused a lot more damage than the first accident. This time the bell needed new uprights that were made from scratch by Bear Mechanical in Pricetown, new bronze bushings that replaced the old roller cast system were installed by Coyote Manufacturing in Highland, who also sandblasted the bell and gave it five coats of paint, G & G Body Shop in Hillsboro straightened the clacker, Steve Holland remade the wheel and Harsha Monuments completed other repairs.

While the date the bell was made has been lost to history, it helped raise funds for the World War II effort, celebrated the war’s end, marked the location of Hillsboro’s most well-known former business and for the past 10 years has helped local residents ring in the new year.

“There’s been some talk about moving it to the back (of the Highland House property) where it wouldn’t be struck again,” said historical society member John Kellis. “But (out front) is where Virginia Bell put it up.”

According to longtime local historian Jean Wallis, the bell resided for many years in front of the C.S. Bell Foundry on Railroad Street in Hillsboro. She said it was donated to the Highland County Historical Society by Virginia Bell, who at one time rescued and operated the foundry.

Wallis said that during World War II the bell would be placed in the back of a truck and drove around Hillsboro trying to raise money for war bonds. She said that on Victory in Europe Day it was placed in a truck again and drove around while ringing to celebrate the end of the war.

The tradition of ringing the bell on New Year’s Eve started in 2013 after a suggestion by the late Pamela Nickell, according to Vicki Knauff, the current director of the museum.

Knauff said a group of people usually gather at the Highland House around 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 31, then have a countdown and ring the bell at midnight. She said the public is encouraged to attend.

“We try to make that a tradition so people can have a way to ring in the new year,” Knauff said.

Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522.