Jon Moore and Linda Garcia accepting an antique steeple bell from Jack Helm of Helm Vault.

Jack Helm, owner of Helm Vault Service in Bradenton has presented the Historical Society with a restored 14” antique steeple bell for use when the Crocker Memorial Church is active with community events.  The building, built in 1901, has been in continuous use ever since and is the meeting space for the Historical Society as well as other civic and social groups.

Additionally, the church is a site for small weddings which makes this donation of a bell so lovely. Helm Vault Service also supports the Historical Society with the personalized engraving of the bricks saved from the Airline Seaboard Railway Depot which are purchased by Society supporters with a donation, and laid in front of the Bidwell-Wood House (1882) each November.

Members of the Historical Society Board of Directors gathered to accept the wonderful donation. They’re excited to ring the bell at the Crocker Memorial Church for events and meetings such as Conversations at The Crocker in the future.

We’ve set the 2016-2017 Calendar of Events for next season and are ready to accept reservations for the narrated Historical Trolley Tours and the Historical LeBarge Cruise for the first Sunday in November and again in March 2017. Don’t get shut out of these wildly-popular historic events. Call our Site Manager, Linda Garcia, Tues-Fri from 10am to 2pm to grab your reservations! 941-364-9076. Or email her 24/7 at hsosc1@gmail.com.