In the late summer of 1848, all hell broke loose in Iowa City as the recently-dismissed Rev. Michael Hummer climbed into the belfry of the Presbyterian Church, trying to “recover” the bell he believed to be his.
With the help of a former parishioner/church elder, the good reverend decided to take action. Hummer climbed a ladder to the church belfry, unfastened the church bell he believed to be his, and began slowly lowering it on a rope to the ground, while his friend went off to the livery stable to rent an escape vehicle – a horse and wagon. Being the middle of the day, a crowd quickly surrounded the church. Several men, deciding to stop the robbery, simply removed Hummer’s ladder, trapping him in the dome-capped belfry. This, as should be expected, set Rev. Hummer “raving and scolding and gesticulating like a madman.”
While his efforts failed, it left one great story for bell-lovers, Iowa City historians and church-goers alike.
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