Franklin County highlights bell clapper salvaged from Chambersburg�s 1864 burning

A bell clapper salvaged from the July 30, 1864 burning of Chambersburg is now part of Franklin Countys collection, a presenter said. The presenter told the meeting the clapper was recovered from the courthouse rubble after Confederate forces set the town on fire when a ransom demand was not paid and that the original bell was so damaged it was melted down and later replaced.

"This was an eyewitness artifact of what happened that day," the presenter said, explaining that the clapper had been kept in the clock tower and was recently brought out for a display because of its historical significance to Chambersburg. The presenter also disputed the common belief that county government records were lost in the blaze, saying, "They a lot of people think that the records burned with the burning of Chambersburg, but trust me, we have them." The presenter said the clapper was returned to county custody by the contractor who oversaw cleanup after the fire, or by a descendant of that contractor.

The remarks in the transcript focus on the artifacts provenance and local preservation of records rather than on a formal county action; no motions or votes were recorded in the excerpt.