This cache IS at the posted coords - however, in order to log this cache, you will need to complete additional steps! Failure to do so will result in your log being deleted - please read below!
The posted coordinates for this cache will take you to the one and only official Illinois Freedom Bell. Surprisingly, this bell has some pretty interesting history!
The bell was initially created in 1862 as a replica of the Liberty Bell - but it was initially housed on the other side of the cheddar curtain, at a church in Lake Geneva. The church burned down, and while the bell was being transported across the frozen lake in 1910, the ice cracked, sending the bell down into the cold depths. It was eventually salvaged in 1960, then purchased by a farmer in Johnsburg before the folks of Mount Morris heard about it. In 1966, after getting a loan from the VFW and collecting donations from residents, the town purchased the bell for $500. A few short years later, in 1971, Illinois Governor Richard Ogilvie designated it as the Official Freedom Bell of the State of Illinois. A plaque was later installed at the base of the bell, quoting the Governor:
On this, the occasion of the first official ringing of the Freedom Bell at Mount Morris, let this message be heard by all Americans: "Let us be one nation, dedicated as never before to the realization of the promise of freedom for all."
But this wasn't the first Illinois Freedom Bell. Mount Morris lays claim to being the first town in Illinois to restart the tradition of ringing bells on the 4th of July, which they started again in 1963, using a small, 16-inch bell. Ronal Reagan (before his presidential days) actually came to town to designate that bell, which now hangs at the Memorial Fountain in the northeast corner of this square. The current bell is much larger, measuring four feet tall, four feet wide, and weighing in at 1,500 pounds!
Every year at the beginning of July, Mount Morris hosts the "Let Freedom Ring" festival, during which the Illinois Freedom Bell gets rung on July 4th, at 1pm central time. This actually coincides with bell ringings held in other towns and other states, all across the country! And this is no small festival - thousands of people are said to flock to Mount Morris to hear the ringing of the bell.
In order to log a find on this virtual, please review the below requirements. For the questions, please send me the answers using the email or message feature through my geocaching profile! Please do NOT post answers to the questions with your log, or your log will be deleted!:
1. With your log, include a picture of yourself, your group, or a personal item (GPS, phone, or sign) with the bell in the background.
2. There is a plaque on the ground at the base of the bell's pavilion on the East side - what is the full name on that plaque, including both nicknames?
3. On the North and South side of the bell's pavilion, you will find two more names (one name on each side). Please send me both full names.
Thank you for visiting! Maybe I'll run into you at a Let Freedom Ring festival in the future!
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.