(Editor’s note: The following story first appeared in the August edition of the Snellville History Society. The author is now retired in Alabama, and has recently completed the writing “200 Years of Snellville History.”—eeb)
By James W. Cofer, Jr.
BIRMINGHAM, ALA. | During the first half of the 20th century, in Snellville the old school bell could be heard all over town as it signaled teachers and students at Consolidated School when it was time to start/end school, begin/end classes, and recesses. The large bell was housed in a covered, weathered, wooden tower about 15 feet above ground. The tower stood by a massive coal pile that fed the school’s many pot-bellied stoves, which kept the classrooms warm in winter. It is not known for sure exactly when the bell tower was installed but it likely was when the school was built in 1922.
During this author’s student days (1951-1959), the bell was rung by tugging on a rope that led from the tower to a window in the original auditorium. The principal pulled on the rope at the prescribed time.
Snellville Historian Tom Ewing recalls a humorous bell event. It was well understood by all that nobody but the principal, Bill Britt, was to ring the bell. Local jokester, Hugh Snell, saw Britt’s young son, Clarkie, walking down the hall and told him a big fib.
“Hey, Little Bill, your father is looking for you.” Young Clarkie asks: “What does he want?” “He wants you to ring the bell” Snell responds. Without hesitation, Clarkie climbs up into a chair, grabs the rope, and begins ringing the bell for the whole school to hear. Snell quickly disappears just as Big Bill strides into the room to see who is ringing his bell. That day, more than one lesson was learned by Clarkie.
The old Rock School was torn down in 1974; the bell mysteriously disappeared and was assumed lost forever. Then in 2013, Dan Leclair, son-in-law of auto mechanic Windall Martin, came forward with the bell, which had been stored in a family barn for years. No questions were asked. Windall operated a service station and auto repair garage about a half mile from the school. His garage had a wrecker, which could have facilitated transport. Supposedly, he took it down as the building was being dismantled. Snellville owes Windall a debt of gratitude for preserving this historic relic.
The Snellville Historical Society and the Snellville Alumni Association raised $13,000 to build a new tower with granite marker in 2014 and installed the bell on the U.S. Highway 78 property of the Snellville United Methodist Church (now Snellville Community Church). Architect Chad Smith designed the tower structure, and the Yonah Mountain Timber Builders built the structure, complete with an illuminating floodlight.
In 2025, the Church sold the property housing the bell, and it needed a new home. The Snell family, for which the city is named, graciously offered to move and provide a permanent home for the bell tower, granite marker, and a stone bench (that was once part of the school steps) to the E. R. Snell homeplace on North Road, where the Snellville Historical Society is located.
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