The search is on for an 800-pound antique bell stolen from the Ballard Elks Lodge 827.
Members said it was hauled away sometime this weekend from the front of the building on Seaview Avenue.
Member Eric Howes said this is a big blow to the organization. The brass bell was 130 years old and was donated to them by the Fremont Fire Department.
“I am kind of sick to my stomach. It’s really hurtful,” said Howes.
Members called all the scrap yards in town hoping to find the bell. On Wednesday, they got a call back from Dave McElroy, the manager of the Recycling Depot in Georgetown.
McElroy said someone sold him pieces of brass on Monday for about $200 but he didn’t realize they were part of the bell until he was alerted by the Elks Lodge.
“It’s really tough to decipher what’s stolen and what’s not stolen,” said McElroy. “We like to help as much as we can with something like this.”
McElroy said he will cooperate with police and hopes other scrap yards that may have bought part of the bell will do the same.
The Ballard Elks Lodge 827 members said they plan to put up a security camera where the bell used to be.
And if they get enough pieces of the bell back, they will create a memorial that will go in front of the building.
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