Victory Bell

Constructed: 1886

Present Uses: The bell now resides in Werner University Center and rings to mark the hours of the day.

History:

Money to purchase the bell was raised from the dinner following The Grove planting.
The bell was cast in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1886 and was hung in the belfry of the Oregon Normal School Administration Building (now Campbell Hall) since 1889 where its main use was to signal the hours of the day for both students and the people of Monmouth. It served until 1924.
The bell was sometimes called the "victory bell" because it was rung after every campus victory, large or small.
The administration decided that the bell should ring no more in 1924 because of the rebelious students that would ring the bell without permission, which would upset the townspeople. From 1924-1933 the bell was not on display.
In 1933, Theta Delta Phi secured permission from the University President to restore the bell to its former place in the traditional activities of the campus. It was now mounted on a wooden rollable cart.
On VJ Day in 1945, students sat on the back of a truck with the Victory Bell and paraded around Monmouth and Independence ringing the bell as a signal of the end of the war.
Following a Basketball game against Portland State in 1953, The Victory Bell was taken by the team to the Portland Campus. Three weeks later, the bell was returned by Portland State president, Jim Caughlin along with a miniature bell to be used as a traditional exchange bell.