Monmouth County Commissioner Lillian G. Burry, who is also the Colts Neck Historical Preservation Committee chair, presided over a ceremony Thursday and unveiled a plaque on the historic bell which has tolled for the Colts Neck Township Fire Company for decades.
The dedication ceremony came in the wake of Boy Scout Tony Clifton’s completion of his Eagle Scout Project which restored the historic bell. Clifton will be further honored at his Eagle Scout awards ceremony next month.
“I am thrilled to be able to add this historic bell to the tour of historic sites in Colts Neck,” Burry said. “It is a 21st century commemoration and tribute to all the volunteers who have manned our fire equipment since Fire Company 1 was organized in 1926, nearly 200 years ago.”
The fire department purchased the former Culver buildings, a blacksmith shop and barn in 1926, creating the first fire house in the borough. The following year, a fire bell was donated and installed outside of the fire house where it remained until the new fire house was built in 1953.
The bell lacked complete maintenance over the next decades and Clifton researched its history and determined it had historical value and should be cherished and restored as a monument to the firemen, and made its restoration his Eagle Scout project.
The historic bell will be added to sites outlined in Commissioner Burry’s book, “A Tour of Historic Colts Neck.,” The book, a compilation of 13 sites, was funded by the Colts Neck Preservation Committee and written by Burry as a guide to residents and visitors wanting to know more about Colts Neck history historic sites and persons in American history who had connections with the township. The book, which is available at the Colts Neck General Store and Colts Neck Realty, is designed to enable residents to conduct their own self- driving tour of each of the sites. .
