The Alabama Baptist Online

Sometime between 1900 and 1920, the congregation of Center Hill Baptist Church, Hanceville, purchased a cast-iron bell. Its ring was heard throughout the community, drawing people to worship. Then rust and age silenced the bell. Until now. When the East Cullman Baptist Association church celebrates its 150th anniversary Sept. 5, a restored bell will peal from its new home in a 10-foot belfry located beside the church. “It means a lot to me; it’s part of our heritage. The saints who have gone on to glory heard this bell; it was a part of their lives,” said church member Richard Jesse, who led the restoration of the bell. The bell and other elements like pews figure into some of the earliest memories of 79-year-old Hue Smith, one of the oldest regularly...