LOCATED NEAR PRESENT-day Atlanta, Indiana, in Hamilton County, Roberts Chapel was built in 1858 by a group of Black and mixed-race pioneers who had set down roots in 1835, calling their community Roberts Settlement. A belfry was added to the chapel in 1916. This cast-iron clapper and the bell it belongs to are believed to have been mass manufactured by the C.S. Bell Company in Hillsboro, Ohio, around the same time. In those days, many items, even church and school bells, were chosen from catalogs and shipped to the purchaser. The worn and flattened sides of the 5.65-pound clapper are evidence of over 100 years of continuous use. The bell signaled the Sunday call to worship until well into the 1950s and was likely also used to warn farms for miles around of incoming bad weather. Today, descendants of the Roberts Settlement’s early residents gather for an annual homecoming celebration, with an elder ringing the bell at the beginning of the afternoon program. One older descendant who grew up on the settlement remembers vying for a chance to ring the bell before Sunday school as a little girl. As of this writing, the bell and clapper are undergoing restoration at Verdin Bells & Clocks in Cincinnati, Ohio, after which the clapper will be retired while the bell will return to the belfry with a brand-new clapper, yoke, A-frame, and wheel. The ongoing effort to refurbish the 168-year-old chapel also includes making foundation, siding, and window repairs; putting in an HVAC system; and eventually installing a mini-museum area to display the clapper and other artifacts.
Roberts Chapel Bell Clapper
Vintage: Presumed 1910s
Resides in the Roberts Settlement collection
