The original bell was ordered from an English foundry in 1751 to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter, which spoke of the rights and freedoms of all people. Its most fateful ringing, in the steeple of the State House (now Independence Hall), was on July 8, 1776, when it summoned citizens to hear the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence.
The Appeal
That famous crack, widely attributed to flaws in its casting and caused by a stroke of the clapper, grew bigger every time it was rung. The Liberty Bell was moved to Independence Hall in 1846 and to a glass pavilion in 1976. In October of 2003 the Bell moved to the new Center. Guests now not only get to see the Bell from inside and outside the building but have the opportunity to view exhibits and films charting the Bell's history. PIX.