A church bell that has stood watch over Elmhurst for over two centuries is the focus of a restoration effort to be launched at the First Presbyterian Church of Newtown. The bell was cast in 1788 and has made its home in two separate First Presbyterian buildings—the current church at Queens Boulevard and 54th Avenue and the "old white church," which stood across the street from the present structure until it burned down in 1928.

Although the bell is in good shape, the elements have taken their toll on the wooden frame, rope, 200-year-old wagon wheel, and flooring that support it. The cost of restoration is estimated to be $4,000 to $6,000, which the First Presbyterian Church intends to raise through contributions. This effort was kicked off at the Sunday, July 4th service. The church is seeking to repair the support frame and flooring and to replace the old rope wheel.

The bell has been silent over the past several years as a result of its structural problems. In its 200-year-old history, however, it has been a faithful town herald. It was originally cast by Gerit Bakker in Rotterdam for a church in Hagerstown, Maryland,but that church turned it down. Finding a new home in Elmhurst, then called Newtown, the bell was housed in the white church, which was completed in 1791. It was used not only to call people to worship, but to spread the alarm when a forest fire would flare up in the heavily wooded Newtown area. In earlier times, it also served to notify women at home that a church service had ended so that they could prepare meals. The bell is one of the oldest surviving bells in New York City and is the only relic of the 1791 white church, on the site of which a medical building now stands. The bell was transferred to its current home when the present church building was completed in 1895.

Contributions to the bell’s restoration may be made by check, made payable to the First Presbyterian Church of Newtown. Contributions may be sent to the Bell Fund, first Presbyterian Church of Newtown, 54-03 Seabury Street, Elmhurst, 11373. for more information on the project, contact Marjorie Melikian, chairperson of the church’s historical committee at the church office, (718) 779-6628.