The Justice Bell

The Justice Bell has also been known as the Women’s Liberty Bell and the Suffrage Bell. It was commissioned by Katharine Wentworth Ruschenberger in 1915. She was one of the 70,000 members of the Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association, and a leader of the organization in Chester County.

A close replica of the Liberty Bell, the bronze Justice Bell was cast without a crack. The inscription on the Justice Bell reads:

Establish Justice, Proclaim Liberty throughout All the Land unto All the Inhabitants Thereof, Meneeley Bell Co. Troy, NY MCMXV

The bell was cast by the Meneely Bell Foundry in Troy, New York. After production, the bell was mounted on the bed of a pick-up truck and taken on a driving tour to all of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. Its clapper (the part that hits the bell to make a sound) was chained, preventing the bell from ringing. This symbolized the silence of women who did not have the vote. The bell’s 5,000 mile road trip was designed to raise awareness for women’s suffrage in Pennsylvania – a state-wide referendum that failed in 1915.

In 1920, women took the bell on the road again, traveling to several states to raise support for the ratification of the 19th Amendment. After the 19th Amendment was ratified in August 1920, a celebration was held on Independence Square in Philadelphia. The Justice Bell was rung 48 times – once for every state in the union (Alaska and Hawai’i became states after 1920).

The Justice Bell is on permanent display here at its home at Washington Memorial Chapel and can be visited daily from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. during daylight savings time and 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. during the fall and winter months.