SAMANTHA AYRES

If you’ve passed through downtown and noticed the familiar bell missing from its corner perch at Main and Monroe streets – fear not, the bell is in safe hands and will soon be relocated to a fitting new home near the Stone Academy in the Sylvania Historic Village.
This iconic bell once sat atop the Oak Grove one-room schoolhouse on Corey Road, which closed in 1925. That summer, a group of Sylvania schoolboys climbed the cupola and removed the bell—not as vandals, but to gift it to their beloved music teacher, Mrs. Myrtle Armstrong. They left it on her porch with a heartfelt note, and the School Board told her to keep it until a permanent home could be found. The Armstrong family cared for the bell until 1976, when it was donated to the Sylvania History Buffs.
In 1984, during a downtown revitalization, the bell was given to the city and placed on display at Main and Monroe, streets, where it remained for 40 years. As downtown undergoes another transformation, the bell has been moved to Heritage Sylvania. Plans are in the works to build a new display structure between the historic Log Cabin and Stone Academy replica.
Our hope is to make the bell a tradition at weddings and events in the Sylvania Historic Village. We would like to reuse the roof and posts from the original site. Volunteers are invited and needed to help construct the new base before the weather turns.
If you’re interested in helping with the build, get in touch—we would love to hear from you!
Samantha Ayres is the Executive Director of Heritage Sylvania.