The courthouse in Ashville has been undergoing an extensive renovation over the past few years.

The building has stood in one form or another as the northern meeting place for 166 years. It sits in a historical area, in a county older than the State of Alabama itself.

One of its most enduring features will soon be on display for all who visit the historical building.

The Ashville bell has been a part of the community for nearly 130 years.

The St. Clair County Commission authorized E. J. Robinson and John W. Inzer to pursue purchasing a bell for the St. Clair County Courthouse on Feb. 14, 1882, and approved the $50 expenditure for the bell the following April.  

The Vanhuzen and Tuft bell was cast that year at the Buckeye Bell Foundry in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is believed to be one of just 16 bells of its kind to be cast.

For many years, the chime signified important events going on in the county — from recognizing court day to the jury’s verdict in important trials, when prominent citizens passed away and even signifying the end of World War I.

On New Year’s Eve, townsfolk would draw straws to determine who would get the privilege of ringing the bell at Midnight, which would set off a chain reaction of bells across the city.  

In 2009 it was used at the state’s first Republican gubernatorial debate of that year. The bell was transported from its temporary home at the sheriff’s office in  Ashville to St. Clair County High School in Odenville.

It may not be ready to ring in the New Year tomorrow, as it has in years long past, but the Ashville Courthouse bell will lend its sound to recognize special events in the county in 2011.

The rebuilding of the St. Clair County Courthouse in Ashville includes a home for the historical bell, which has been housed at the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department since it was stolen during demolition in December 2008.  

“We’ve designed a little brick bell tower that will match the façade of the courthouse, and we’ll be mounting it in that tower to be seen and rung on special occasions,” said Stan Batemon, chairman of the St. Clair County Commission. “In the long-range, we hope to wire it up so it can be rung electronically, probably from the security station at the courthouse.”

The first occasion to warrant the bell’s chime will likely be the ribbon cutting ceremony for the courthouse, which is tentatively scheduled for mid-spring.

“We’ll ring it then for the first time, and we’ll set it up from there on out for special occasions,” Batemon said.