A Church is not a Church Without a Bell.


That statement was made by our first pastor, Reverend Jerry Brummett.
 In the middle '60s, the El Salvador Church was in bad disrepair 
and was being torn down. The new church had no use for the old bell
 which was cast in Schenectady, New York in 1882.

Reverend Jerry heard about the bell being available and wanted to buy it but the 
church gave it to him. It was hauled here and put in the church yard.
A six by six foot wooden frame was built to allow the bell to be rung every Sunday 
morning. Paul Whesdos believed that a bell should not be rung from the ground, 
and because he believed a bell actually lives, decided to build a tower to give dignity to
 the bell and the church. With the approval of the administrative board, he and
Jack Britt built the tower from stones they hauled in a little trailer from No Name Key.

They devoted all summer, at least 500 hours, to the construction.
 When it came time to put the bell in place they rigged up a telephone pole as a
 boom and hoisted it in place. The roof was then constructed over the top.
 The Bell Tower was constructed as a Labor of Love and was dedicated on May 16, 1965.

RESEARCHED AND WRITTEN BY JACK BATES