Iowa City, Iowa came into existence on May 4, 1839, which means, at the time of this post (2025), we have at least 186 years of historical events – enough interesting stories to fill up hundreds, if not thousands, of web pages on Our Iowa Heritage website. Occasionally, our readers will ask us which Iowa City stories are our favorites, and while a question like that can cause one to pause, we can readily offer one unique tale that easily makes our top ten list…
As we see it, the Hummer’s Bell Story is one of Iowa City’s most infamous tales. In 1848-1850, when these events first happened, there was more buzz on the streets of Iowa City about Hummer’s Bell than just about anything else . . . short of the 1849 California Gold Rush! And now, all these years later, it’s still an entertaining story that has regularly been re-told and captured people’s attention both far and wide. And, with the return of Hummer’s Bell to Iowa City – October 5, 2025 – after 175+ years, we believe it timely to re-tell the story once more.
Our intriguing Hummer’s Bell Story starts off very innocently…
North Presbyterian Church in Iowa City began as most churches do. A small group of people who want to worship God, doing it in a way that is consistent with their faith tradition, gather together in a common meeting place, and then, they call a like-minded pastor to join them, asking that man or woman to lead them as a congregation. In 1840, in the new community of Iowa City, Iowa – that’s exactly what happened.
The little congregation of 13 members – which officially formed on September 12, 1840 – decided the first thing they needed to do was to secure a permanent meeting place. Fortunately, one of the church’s founding couples was Chauncey & Dolly Swan, who helped finance The National Hotel, located directly north of Capitol Square. In 1839, Chauncey was appointed by the Iowa Territorial Legislature, meeting in Burlington, to head up the three-man commission that selected the new site for the territorial capital in Johnson County.
Click here to read more about Chauncey Swan and The Swan Hotel.
Chauncey Swan, and his wife Dolly, had become very influential in Iowa City, and with their support, the church was given a primary plot of land, located just one block north of The National (below – red x) – which in 1842 became known as The Swan Hotel. The property lies on Lot 8 (SE corner) of Block 86 (below – purple x) – the location of today’s Old Brick. Though construction on a building would not begin until 1843, the congregation, in 1841, proceeded to the next step in starting a new church: securing a pastor to lead the flock.
Author Ruth Gallaher describes the man invited to come to Iowa City, Rev. Michael Hummer…
Michael Hummer was born on April 11, 1802, the son of Micheal and Martha (Evans) Hummer of Fayette County, Kentucky. At the age of eight (1810), Michael’s father died, leaving him and his older brother in the care of his mother, who suffered greatly from severe trauma experienced as a child. In 1824, Hummer enrolled at Indiana College, where he signed an oath to renounce Christianity, becoming an atheist who focused exclusively on money-making.
By 1825, he was soon converted back to Christ under the ministry of Rev. William L. Martyn, who opened a training school at Livonia, Indiana. A Presbyterian minister from Kentucky, Father Martyn, as he was called, was said to have “inspired his pupils with such an educational and missionary spirit, that perhaps no congregation in Indiana furnished more schoolteachers and more ministers than that congregation in Livonia.”
In 1830, Michael graduated from Indiana College and attended Princeton Theological Seminary, but apparently never received a degree. He became a licensed pastor in 1833, and over the next five years pastored several different churches throughout Indiana and Illinois. In 1834, in Indiana, he married Emmeline Booth (pictured above*) who was born in 1810 in New York, daughter of Legrand Booth. By 1839, Hummer was teaching school and pastoring in Davenport, Iowa, overseeing First Presbyterian for several months before moving to several Iowa communities to start new churches – Bloomington (Muscatine), Linn Grove, Round Prairie, Berlin, Red Oak, Tipton, and Scotch Grove Presbyterian in Jones County. It was around this time – 1841 – when Rev. Michael Hummer received the “official” call from Iowa City to help build a new Presbyterian work here in the Territorial capital of Iowa.
As you can see from the article above (left), Rev. Hummer was there on November 6, 1840, when Presbyterian leaders formed their first Territorial Presbytery. It’s at those meetings, Hummer was “chosen Moderator” and, nearly one hundred years later (1932) was named to this historic foursome – Iowa Immortal Presbyterian Ministers! On the next page (above right), Hummer is listed as one of the Presbytery’s earliest pastors (1837-1840), and as you can see, the Iowa City church that he will soon pastor (1841-1848) is listed among the nine earliest churches in Iowa (1840).
So, when Michael Hummer arrived in Iowa City – beginning his first of seven years as lead pastor (1841-1848) – there was much work to be done. Like other men of the cloth, the good reverend provided for his family by living quite humbly while also continuing to serve several area start-up congregations at the same time. While Chauncey & Dolly Swan had generously donated land to build a new church within blocks of Capitol Square, funding the new facility was a different story.
North Presbyterian Church, under the leadership of Rev. Michael Hummer, began construction on this new building (above left) in 1843. It took seven years to complete (1850), but sadly burned to the ground six years later (1856). This drawing of the church was completed by George H. Yewell and part of a set of 12 drawings done in 1854. Click here for more info.
So, while the good people of North Presbyterian had no permanent church building to call home, Rev. Michael Hummer still found very creative ways for the small congregation to meet in temporary locations, while he worked on making himself into a visible and influential leader about town. Being a close friend of and pastor to the city founder – Chauncey Swan, and having other early city and territorial leaders as part of the church, offered Rev. Hummer a wonderful opportunity to serve the community, and through it all, become easily recognized as one of the city’s highly respected pastors.
One prime example of Hummer’s influence was the fact that he was personally invited by the Head of the Iowa Senate to be the pastor who would offer opening day prayers for the very first Iowa Territorial Legislative session to be held in Iowa City on December 6, 1841. To say the least, Rev. Hummer being chosen for this special honor spoke volumes about his level of influence around not only Iowa City, but the whole Territory as well.
The Capitol Reporter of December 17, 1842 (below right) notes that Rev. Hummer was actively involved with the Johnson County Bible Society as well.
Below left – Right from the start, education was highly valued in Iowa City, and was a very important part of life for nearly every resident here in the Territorial capital. Actually, from its very beginnings in the 1840’s, through to the earliest part of the 20th century, Iowa City became known, across the Territory and the State (1846), as The Athens of Iowa. It’s not surprising, then, to know that Rev. Michael Hummer, who was trained as both a minister and a schoolteacher, not only pastored, but also became the chaplain and headmaster of Iowa City’s first private school: Mechanics Academy.
Above right – We see that Hummer was also selected to play an important role in the July 17, 1845 public ceremony honoring former-President Andrew Jackson’s death.
As we’ve mentioned earlier, Rev. Michel Hummer was a well-educated and very successful church planter for the Presbyterian Church of Iowa. Indeed, the good pastor was so well known around Iowa Territory, by 1846, he was asked by the Presbytery to go back East and raise funds for a training school to be based in the southeast corner of the Territory, and for funding to finish the construction of the new church building in Iowa City. Records indicate that Hummer made at least two fund-raising trips between 1846 and 1847, and apparently, he had great success in raising enough money for both efforts. Records show that the school – going by the name of Des Moines College – opened in the spring of 1848, and in a series of articles published in the Iowa Capitol Reporter (see below left), we find that Rev. Hummer was appointed as President of the newly formed school that was located near Ft. Madison at West Point, Iowa.
This is an important fact to remember when we get to the bulk of our Hummer’s Bell Story. Now, it’s these fund-raising trips (1846-1847) of Rev. Hummer which brings us to the star of our story…
During his fund-raising travels (1846-1847), Rev. Hummer obtained, probably as a gift, a beautiful 782-pound Church Bell, valued at $600. Upon his return to Iowa City, Hummer had the bell mounted on a small frame and placed right inside the east door of the new Capitol building – where North Presbyterian Church was meeting prior to their new building on Market Street being completed.
Records indicate that Hummer was very proud of this new bell that was, according to one report, inscribed with the church’s name and the names of those who had contributed toward its purchase. Another account tells how Pastor Hummer would, so very often, be found in the hallways of the capitol, demonstrating the church bell’s pure tone by tapping it with a copper coin, explaining the bell’s makeup to anyone who would listen.
By the Summer of 1847, with the new church building still under construction, Rev. Hummer instructed his team to go ahead and mount his fine treasure in the church’s belfry. Most Iowa City historians agree that this bell was one of the first to ring out on the streets of Iowa City, and there is one report that indicates that North Presbyterian’s bell might have been the first one tolling out good tidings on the west side of the Mississippi River! Read more details here.
To say the least, this 782-pound bell – made by Andrew Meneely of West Troy, New York – was pretty special to that first generation of Iowa Citians. So special, in fact, that the Hummer’s Bell Story we’re about to tell you caused, as we mentioned earlier, more buzz on the streets of Iowa City than just about anything else . . . short of the 1849 California Gold Rush!
As Rev. Hummer (pictured above*) was traveling back East (1846-1847), raising funds for the Presbytery (Old School Presbyterian), he was exposed to some newer, “strange, doctrinal teachings” that went even further outside Presbyterian beliefs than the “New School” teachings that Rev. Woods was preaching across town. Church historians call what Hummer was bringing back to his pulpit, Swedenborgianism, and apparently, by 1847/1848, there was a growing discontentment amongst his parishioners that their pastor was truly leading them down a questionable path.
To make matters worse, in the Spring of 1848, the regional Presbytery began expressing deep concerns about Rev. Hummer’s lack of clear financial records from his “fund-raising” trips back East. One friend of Rev. Hummer described him as “the smartest preacher, (but) not the greatest saint” – and it appears that some of Hummer’s deep-seeded anger truly got the best of him as he was confronted about these financial concerns.
As the story goes, a series of very intense meetings between Hummer and the Presbytery was held in Iowa City, with the good pastor finally being expelled after he got “furious, storming angry, and left the room in a rage, declaring the Presbytery to be ‘a den of ecclesiastical thieves.’”
Just a side note here – In the winter of 1844, the local business community sponsored a series of Literary Institute “lectures” – held in Butler Hall (above) – covering a number of important topics. Thomas Rogers opened the lecture series with a talk on “Character,” followed by H.D. Downey speaking on “Improvement in the Art of Public Speaking.” That lecture was followed by: Rev. Hummer, who spoke on “The Importance and Character of a Thorough Mental Training.”
Hmm. I guess the good pastor wasn’t able to practice what he preached, huh?
The next day, Hummer, in response to his sudden dismissal, picked up his belongings, some pulpit furniture, which included the church’s communion service, two bibles, a severance note for $658, and any other movable property he could find and shuffled off to greener pastures in Keokuk – located in far southeastern Iowa. Remember, as we mentioned earlier, he was the President of the Presbytery’s Des Moines College near Ft. Madison at this time as well.
Now, in most circumstances, this would be the end of the story. But for Rev. Michael Hummer and the good folks at North Presbyterian in Iowa City, the most entertaining part of this tale was just about to begin…
Apparently, the longer Rev. Michael Hummer fumed about his dismissal from the Iowa City congregation, the more he came to believe that this $600 church bell hanging in the belfry of the still-under-construction North Presbyterian Church rightly belonged to him. So, with the encouragement and hands-on help of the former Iowa City parishioner and church elder, Dr. James W. Margrave, who had followed Hummer to Keokuk, the good reverend decided to take matters into his own hands.
(Above) Iowa Citian George H. Yewell drew several cartoon panels depicting Rev. Michael Hummer as he simmered in his rage over his lost treasure: the Iowa City bell. More on this detail later.
In the late summer of 1848, traveling the 100 miles from Keokuk to Iowa City, Rev. Michael Hummer climbed a ladder to the church belfry, unfastened the bell, tied it to a strong rope, and, with the help of Dr. J.W. Margrave (above right*), began slowly lowering the treasure to the ground. Once that job was complete, Margrave went off to retrieve their escape vehicle – a horse and wagon that they had parked elsewhere in town, in order to avoid suspicion.
Being the middle of the day, a crowd quickly surrounded the church. As the story goes, several quick-thinking men, seeing the church bell unattended on the ground, decided, with Margrave gone, they could stop this highway robbery by simply removing Hummer’s ladder, trapping him in the dome-capped belfry. This move, as should be expected, set Rev. Hummer “raving and scolding and gyrating like a madman.”
As you might imagine, this commotion drew an even bigger crowd, and suddenly Iowa City was having “an incident” – worthy of one great news story.
As this encounter continued, Rev. Hummer’s well-documented anger kicked into high gear, resulting in him hurling loose boards and bricks down upon his observers! Obviously, the lesson points he gave to Iowa City business leaders back in 1844 with his lecture: The Importance and Character of a Thorough Mental Training, were failing him at this moment, don’t you think?
In the meantime, a handful of fast-acting Iowa Citians – some reports name Eli Myers, James Miller, A. B. Newcomb, and David Lamoreaux – loaded the 782-pound church bell onto a nearby wagon, hooked it to a fellow parishioner’s horse, and escaped northward out of town, all before Dr. Margrave could return to rescue his friend!
The first known publication of the Hummer’s Bell Story came in the form of an editorial cartoon, drawn up around 1849/1850 by a 19-year-old budding artist who was, most likely, in the crowd that summer day when Hummer and Margrave came to call. George H. Yewell was the young artist’s name, and it was his seven-panel cartoon parody entitled Chronicles of the Bell that first made the Tale of Hummer’s Bell into an Iowa City legend.
Yewell’s artwork, drawn up on brown butcher-block paper, was first hung up in the window of a local business, catching the eye of an Iowa City-based statesmen. The piece had seven panels, with Yewell adding his own ‘epistle’ of what transpired both that infamous late-summer day in Iowa City and in the weeks following…
And it came to pass that Michael did ascend unto the housetop and commence taking down the bell. And the multitude cried out unto him to show by what right he did so: but he did hold his peace.
Now when Michael had lowered the bell even unto the floor of the building, lo! the people laid hands on it and carried it away. Then Michael waxed wroth and did say many naughty things and did cast pieces of wood among the multitude who cried unto him to stop lest he should kill someone. Then Michael raised his voice aloud and cried “ Verily, verily, will I kill more of you.”
Now when evening was come, Michael and his serving-man did go into a room in a public inn. And Michael’s wrath was great and he did kick over the chairs and stools insomuch that his serving-man did quake and tremble. And Michael bade him take a horse and ride to a distant town and hasten back with a cunning man who was a lawyer and then he would fix the rebellious multitude. When the serving-man had departed and night was come, Michael did retire to his bed, and lo! about the middle watch he was awakened by a rushing noise. He leaped from his couch and saw a bright light at a far distance coming towards him. And Michael watched it and trembled. It suddenly became of the shape of a huge bell such as one as he did try to take the day past. And it stopped, and a huge face did appear on the top of the bell and did say unto him “ Michael! Michael!! Michael!!!“ And Michael answered What wilt thou” and it answered “Verily, verily will I visit thee in thy slumbers until thou forsake thy wickedness.”
Now, when the serving-man did arrive in the morning with the lawyer, Michael was much down cast because of the visit of the ghost on the past night. Nevertheless, they did set themselves to work to devise means to find where the multitude had hid the bell. Finally, the serving-man did remember that he had a sister who by the means of clairvoyance could give unto them the information. And straightway they journeyed unto Keokuk and did hire a learned man who did put the young woman in a state of clairvoyance. And then he spake to her saying, “Where is the bell.” And she forthwith answered “ Verily, it is in a well five miles distant S.W. from the town wherein it was placed.”
Now, Michael’s spirits did revive and straightway he sent the cunning man to the town to preach unto the natives and to threaten them. And he did so and the multitude did laugh at and persecute him. Nevertheless, he threatened the wrath of the law, and of the law-loving Michael, but they only laughed the greater until, with a sad heart and sorrowful countenance, he bade adieu and straightway mounted his horse and without a hat did journey no one knew whither and has not been heard of since. And also of Michael and his serving-man nothing more can be found. Verily, verily, they shall have their reward.
The serving-man in Yewell’s narrative is Hummer’s friend: Elder J. W. Margrave, the attorney: Ralph P. Lowe of Lee County, who represented Hummer in the litigation which followed, and in 1858, became the Governor of Iowa, and the young woman seer: Mary Margrave, the sister of J. W. Margrave. After much seeking, all failed to reveal the presence of the bell in the Iowa City wells, as suggested by the clairvoyant. Records also show that it was rumored that the bell was buried under the Capitol building, but, alas! – the bell was never found.
As the story goes, people all over the Territory of Iowa were talking for months about the Hummer’s Bell Story. Apparently, one fine evening, while gathered in the tavern over at Swan’s Hotel, Iowa City lawyers, John P. Cook and William H. Tuthill, possibly under the slight influence of some dark ale, penned a parody song – Ah, Hummer’s Bell – set to the tune – Those Evening Bells – written by Thomas Moore and John Anderson Stevenson (1818).
Had YouTube or Facebook been available in the day, I’m certain the song would have gone viral, but in the 1850’s, it found enough likes to be remembered whenever the Hummer’s Bell Story was retold. Allow me, here, to share the Cook & Tuthill lyrics with you…
After it was all said and done, Rev. Michael Hummer, along with his sidekick, Dr. J.W. Margrave, went back to Keokuk, bell-less.
Over the following years, Rev. Hummer’s revenge and rage was still at it, filing a legal suit against the church in Iowa City over the debts he believed they still owed him. According to historical records, some type of settlement was finally found by 1853, but, of course, Hummer never saw his treasured bell – or his old comrades in Iowa City – ever again.
Now, to finish up on Rev. Hummer – back in Keokuk, the church that Hummer and Margrave founded not only remained without a bell, but according to most theologians, the congregation got a few bats in their belfry as well. The group was soon kicked out of the Presbyterian Church, changed its name to New Lights, and evolved into a cult-like community with Dr. Margrave’s sister, Mary Margrave (pictured above*), becoming the spiritual medium (prophet) for the group.
But things got much worse in the months to come…
Interestingly enough, the 1850 U.S. census indicates that the entire Hummer family – Rev. Michael & Emmeline Hummer, and Mary Margrave, the prophetess, were all living together in one household! But, apparently, that same year, those living arrangements hit some bad bumps…
Apparently, Hummer was arrested for an attempt to murder his wife, Emmeline, by suffocation, under the pretense of driving the devil out of her. One newspaper account states that Hummer’s wife was having an intimate relationship with William J. Cochran, and was rescued from Hummer’s aggression by caring neighbors. This event, combined with the rumor that Hummer, himself, and Mary Margrave were secretly seeing each other, ended the Hummers’ marriage, with Emmeline wedding Cochran, and moving back to Indiana in the mid-1850’s.
As for Rev. Hummer, by 1855, the good pastor with the anger issues had moved on to Kansas, where his life took way too many twists and turns to mention here. Records indicate that he died on September 9, 1884, at the ripe old age of 84, in Wyandotte, Kansas, and is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery. A good friend of his, J. M. D. Powell, who worked alongside him during his Iowa years, wrote this about Hummer…
Thus ends the story of Rev. Michael Hummer. Godspeed, dear, troubled Iowa City friend, Godspeed.
As we mentioned earlier, North Presbyterian Church began construction on their first building in 1843, and it took seven long years to complete the process (1843-1850). The building was dedicated on February 24, 1850, roughly two years after Rev. Hummer was dismissed from his pastoral position in Iowa City.
When the beautiful Meneely Foundry bell was removed by Rev. Hummer – and temporarily re-located in the Iowa River by local townspeople (late summer 1848) – North Presbyterian had no bell to ring from its belfry until a new one was ordered seven years later in 1855. Sadly, this new bell was lost, as well as the entire church building, when the facility caught fire in 1856.
A new brick building was planned, but that project took nine years to complete (1856-1865), primarily because of three cataclysmic events: 1) the national financial panic in 1857, 2) the loss of the Iowa capital to Des Moines – also in 1857, followed by 3) the 1861-65 Civil War.
Once completed in 1865, the church became the long-time home of North Presbyterian – which, by that time, had changed its name to First Presbyterian Church – meeting in the building until a new facility was built one hundred and ten years later, in 1975, on the east side of Iowa City.
Of course, many Iowa Citians know the history of how First Presbyterian Church in downtown Iowa City evolved into today’s Old Brick (1975-1977). It’s a story of transition that’s as intriguing as the Hummer’s Bell Story, but since it’s a rather lengthy tale, we’ll leave that for another day. Suffice to say that Old Brick is the second oldest remaining structure in Iowa City, older than any other except Old Capitol (1842). You can read more about Saving Old Brick here.
As for the wind-altered appearance of Old Brick, in his 1975 book on local architecture titled “American Classic” University of Iowa history professor Laurence Lafore writes:
“While it is not a major work of art it must be judged an imposing and beautiful example of the attempt to achieve, by using Romanesque details, the characteristic Romanesque atmosphere of slightly gloomy, fortress-like solidity in a simple and practical church building.”
That late summer day in 1848, when Rev. Hummer lowered the church bell to the ground, it was taken away from the church property by a group of Iowa Citians who loaded it onto a wagon so it could be safely stored away until the “bell incident” was over. Some accounts name these four men – Eli Myers, James Miller, A. B. Newcomb, and David Lamoreaux – as the bell’s rescuers. It was later reported that the men securely tied the bell to an old oak tree, allowing it to sink down into the sandy shore of the Iowa River “near the mouth of Rapid Creek” for safe keeping.
Historical records vary at this point, but here’s a short summary, as best we can determine…
Apparently, once the townspeople removed the bell from church property, the idea here was to keep the bell safely hidden away until such time when the payment issue with Rev. Hummer was resolved with church trustees. We do know, with certainty, that Hummer and his buddy, Margrave, did return to Iowa City at a later time, bringing both a lawyer (Robert P. Lowe), and their church prophetess, Mary Margrave. As a “see-er”, Margrave believed the bell was hidden in a local well, but after several days of searching, nothing, of course, was found. That’s when Hummer and his team returned to Keokuk and began the legal battle with North Presbyterian.
As we mentioned earlier, it wasn’t until 1853 when this financial settlement with Hummer was finalized, and it was at this point, the good people of North Presbyterian went to the site where the bell had been hidden, but were shocked to find nothing there! Apparently, this surprising development caused many rumors to pop up around town, including ideas such as 1) the bell broke loose from its rope, floating down the Iowa River, 2) the heavy weight of the bell caused it to ‘sink down to China’, or 3) the bell was pulled from the river and hidden away beneath the new Capitol Building.
As the story goes, no one in town ever figured out the where-abouts of the bell for several more years, until one of the original bell rescuers – A. B. Newcomb – returned from the California Gold Rush, with the full story…
Here’s What Really Happened To The Iowa City Bell…
Apparently, the original group of Iowa Citians who whisked the bell away from Rev. Hummer on that late summer day in 1848, all swore themselves to secrecy on where they had placed the bell into the Iowa River. Yet, at some point, over the next year, the four men – Eli Myers, James Miller, A. B. Newcomb, and David Lamoreaux, secretly moved the bell from its original hiding place and re-submerged it into the river near the Montgomery sawmill (today’s Coralville). And the following spring, on April 15, 1850, the foursome retrieved the bell, packed it in a large sugar hogshead (barrel), loaded it, carefully, on Newcomb’s wagon, and headed westward, like so many others, toward the California Gold Rush.
Just a quick editorial note here: Many people in Iowa City responded to the 1849 California Gold Rush, including city leaders like Chauncey Swan and others. Records show that there were numerous departures from Iowa City throughout the spring and early summer months of 1849 and 1850, with many men forming traveling partnerships along the way. Keep in mind that Iowa City was one of the last “civilized” communities for those traveling westward to California, and It’s reported that hundreds – if not thousands – of gold seekers from back east traveled the National Road into Iowa City, crossing the Iowa River on ferries, and then heading south and westward into Kansas and Nebraska.
Now, back to our four bell thieves. Records indicate that the team joined with Shadrach Roundy’s freight company bound for Salt Lake City, arriving there on September 10, 1850. Wintering there, three of the team (Myers, Miller, and Newcomb) moved on in the spring, with Lamoreux, a Mormon, staying in Salt Lake City, and selling the Iowa City bell to the Latter Day Saints (LDS) Mormon Church (March 20, 1851) after negotiating a $600 sale with the LDS tithing clerk – a former Iowa Citian – Asa Calkins.
As we mentioned earlier, no one back in Iowa City knew of all of this activity until several years later, when one of the Hummer’s Bell traveling party – A.B. Newcomb – returned home from California in the mid-to-late 1850’s. All the while, the good folks at North Presbyterian finished up construction on their church building, dedicating it on February 24, 1850; Rev. Hummer, who continued his rather odd church work in Keokuk, received some form of legal settlement (1853); a fund-raising project was initiated (1855) to purchase a new church bell, and Iowa Citians went back to their everyday business, pretty much forgetting about the urgency of the matter.
It’s at this point in our report, we’ll share with you some of the many renditions of the Hummer’s Bell Story – as told over the last 175 years…
As we mentioned earlier, George H. Yewell’s seven-panel cartoon (circa 1849-1850) was the first “re-telling” of the Hummer’s Bell Story, followed quickly with the circulation of Cook and Tuthill’s song parody, Ah, Hummer’s Bell. But, interestingly, other than a couple of reports about Hummer’s trial in Ft. Madison (1851 & 1853), Iowa City newspapers had no mention of Hummer or of the lost bell for over a decade. But, all that changed, beginning in 1865, following the end of the Civil War…
In what might be one of the more comprehensive collection of facts, in May 1922, Palimpsest historian Ruth Gallaher offers a few more Hummer’s Bell Story details. Here’s just a couple of samples…
And then, there’s the well-known newspaper editor – Jacob E. Reizenstein – who wrote for the Iowa City Press-Citizen for over 35 years. J.E.R.’s highly-popular series A Fact A Day About Iowa City ran in the Press-Citizen from 1928 – well into the 1950’s – and was packed with informative stories from Johnson County history. Below are just two of his articles on the Hummer’s Bell Story from June 7, 1930 (left), and April 1, 1939 (right)…
Of course, no set of newspaper articles on one of Iowa City’s biggest stories would be complete without the writings of Mr. Iowa City – Irving B. Weber. Below are just two examples of Weber’s treatment of the Hummer’s Bell Story…
A bit of research in the files of both the Iowa City Public Library and the files of First Presbyterian Church of Iowa City, indicate that there have been a handful of efforts over the past 100 years to retrieve Hummer’s Bell, or at the very least, verify its presence in Salt Lake City. Fortunately, with the help of some LDS historians, and the work of local historian, Dwight M. Miller (pictured above – right), more details are available today than ever before.
Which brings us, now, to the BIG NEWS…
After 175+ years, the 782-pound MeNeely Foundry Bell from 1846 – that once rang proudly on the streets of Iowa City – is finally making the long 1,200 mile journey back home from Salt Lake City!
On August 6, 2025, Iowa City Press-Citizen correspondent Richard Hakes broke the good news. After several years of negotiations with the LDS Church in Salt Lake City, First Presbyterian Church in Iowa City has secured the safe return of Hummer’s Bell to Iowa City, and on October 5, 2025, this iconic treasure will be dedicated on the church’s campus.
You can read the full story of the bell’s return here.
April 15, 1850 – After saving North Presbyterian Church’s bell from the former pastor – Rev. Michael Hummer, who tried to steal it away – a handful of Iowa Citians leave Iowa City, on their way westward to search for California gold – taking Hummer’s Bell with them.
November 3, 1868 – Head of the LDS (Mormon) Church in Salt Lake City, Brigham Young writes to First Presbyterian Church in Iowa City confirming that Hummer’s Bell is, indeed, in their possession.
August 28, 1973 – Last used as a church in 1975, Old Brick is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as North Presbyterian Church.
October 5, 2025 – The infamous Hummer’s Bell is returned to Iowa City, restored and brought back into service at First Presbyterian Church.
Kudos to the amazing resources below for the many quotes, photographs, etc. used on this page.
Rev. Michael J. Hummer, Melissa’s World, Beadles Ancestry webpage
Dec. 6, 1841 Territorial Legislature details, Iowa Capitol Reporter, December 11, 1841, p 3
Bible Society, Iowa Capitol Reporter, December 17, 1842, p 3
Mechanic’s Academy, Iowa Capitol Reporter, May 10.1845, p 3
Andrew Jackson Memorial Service, Iowa Capitol Reporter, July 9, 1845, p 3
Meneely Bell Foundries, Wikipedia
To The Public – Des Moines College, Iowa Capital Reporter, October 4, 1848, p 4 note: this is the last public-announcement of 17 published between March & October 1848, with none appearing in 1849)
Those Evening Bells, Thomas Moore/John Andrew Stevenson, 1818, Wikipedia
Those evening bells : a favorite air with symphony and accompaniment, U.S. Library of Congress
Chronicles of the Bell – A.D. 1848, Iowa City Public Library
Mr. Hummer, Iowa Capital Reporter, February 5, 1851, p 3
The North or O.S. Presbyterian Church, The State Press, December 13, 1865, p 3
That Bell!, The State Press, The State Press, December 20, 1865, p 3
Hummer’s Bell, Dr. Sanford W. Huff, The Annals of Iowa Volume 7 – January 1869, pp 69-75
Hummer’s Bell, Dr. Sanford W. Huff, Iowa City Republican, February 10, 1869, p 1
Rev. Michael Hummer, Find-A-Grave
History of Other Churches of the City, Gil. R. Irish, The Iowa Citizen, September 6, 1905, pp 6-7
When Iowa City Was Young, Gil. W. Irish, Iowa City Citizen, May 4, 1911, p 2
Last Survivor of Mormon Rail, Dale E. Carrell, Iowa City Daily Press, February 2, 1920, p 1
Hummer’s Bell, Ruth Gallaher, Palimpsest – Volume 3 – Number 5 – Article 4, May 1922
Old Resident Visits City, Iowa City Press-Citizen, July 26, 1929, p 2
Settling For A Bell, J. E. Reizenstein, Iowa City Press-Citizen, June 7, 1930, p 5
Rev. Michael Hummer, J. E. Reizenstein, Iowa City Press-Citizen, April 1, 1939, p 4
Church’s Bells Tolled Many Tales, Irving B. Weber, Iowa City Press-Citizen, April 11, 1981, p 8
The Rev. Hummer’s Bell, Iowa City Press-Citizen, February 17, 1984, p 26
Saturday Postcard 186 – Old Brick Stories, Bob Hibbs, JohnsonCounty-IAGenWebProject, March 22, 2003
The Hummer Bell – History, Dwight Miller, First Presbyterian Church/Iowa City
Click here to go on to the next section…
Click here for a complete INDEX of Our Iowa Heritage stories…