History is for Everyone

IL, USA

Kaskaskia Bell (Liberty Bell of the West)

Monument

The Kaskaskia Bell, also called the Liberty Bell of the West, is a 650-pound bronze bell cast in France in 1741 and presented to the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Kaskaskia by King Louis XV. The bell rang when Clark's forces took Kaskaskia in 1778 and again when Illinois achieved statehood in 1818. It is one of the few surviving artifacts from the original colonial Kaskaskia, having been removed before the floods of 1881 destroyed the town. The bell is now housed in a small chapel on Kaskaskia Island.

Visiting Today

Address

Kaskaskia Island, Randolph County, IL 62233

Connected Events

Jan 1703
French Missionaries Establish Kaskaskia

Brigadier General George Rogers Clark

Oct 1765
Britain Takes Control of the Illinois Country

Brigadier General George Rogers Clark

Jan 1778
Clark Secures Virginia Commission for Illinois Campaign

Brigadier General George Rogers Clark

Jun 1778
Clark's Overland March Through the Illinois Wilderness

Brigadier General George Rogers Clark

Jul 1778
Clark Captures Kaskaskia Without Firing a Shot

Brigadier General George Rogers Clark, Philippe-François de Rastel de Rocheblave

Jul 1778
Clark Wins the French Creole Population

Brigadier General George Rogers Clark, Father Pierre Gibault

Aug 1778
Vincennes Peacefully Transfers to American Allegiance

Brigadier General George Rogers Clark, Father Pierre Gibault, Captain Leonard Helm

Dec 1778
Hamilton Recaptures Vincennes in Midwinter

Brigadier General George Rogers Clark, Lieutenant Governor Henry Hamilton, François Vigo, Captain Leonard Helm

Feb 1779
Clark's Winter March Retakes Vincennes

Brigadier General George Rogers Clark, Lieutenant Governor Henry Hamilton

Mar 1784