Liberty Bell of the West/Kaskaskia Bell - Kaskakia, Illinois

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Liberty Bell of the West/Kaskaskia Bell - Kaskakia, Illinois
Located in Kaskaskia Island which was founded in 1703. The Liberty Bell of the West is older than the bell in Philadelphia.

It is the only community in Illinois west of the Mississippi River. The Kaskaskia Bell is also known as the ‘Liberty Bell of the West’. It was a gift to the Catholic church of Kaskaskia from France in 1741. It is 11 years older than the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.

The bell had been rung on the 4th of July for years but the floods of 1973 and 1993 created a crack that had been discovered in 1948 to widen to the degree that the bell now stands silent.

The bell was rung by George Rogers Clark when Kaskaskia was captured for the Americans in 1778.

The bell now stands behind a fenced area to prevent any further damage to occur by people ringing it.

Open daily from 8 to 5. From Chester take the Chester bridge west on Missouri Hywy 51 to Highway H, north to St. Mary’s, Mo., follow signs to Kaskaskia Island and the shrine.