Wooster school bell rings again

By The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Contact)

GREENBRIER - While Wooster Elementary in Greenbrier is the newest installment of the Greenbrier Public School system, there is also an element of the Wooster community’s past standing in its midst. Recently, a bell tower was constructed in the front courtyard of the school. This tower now holds the restored bell from the original Wooster school, which existed until around 1960 when it was consolidated into the Greenbrier system along with other smaller community schools. The old school stood less than a half mile across the street from the current new building. The volunteer fire department is approximately where the old campus was once located.

School nurse Wendy Goad said the materials for the tower were donated by Browning Welding and the Patton family in memory of John Talin Patton. Jeanna Coleman donated the refurbished bell in memory of Osco and Norine Hankins and Janetta Clements. The tower was set in place by school maintenance crew members Tommy Hartwick, Matt Porter, Timmy Reynolds, and Paul Woodrum and Assistant Principal Brian Cossey.

Tracy McAllister, the newWooster school’s media specialist who researched the bell’s history said, “The bell was made by the C.S. Bell Company of Hillsboro, Ohio. The company made many bells for schools and communities. The school bells were cast with athinner wall to give them a higher “ding” sound so they would not be mistaken for the church or fire bells. The No. 20 on our bell indicates that it was one of the 20-inch (in diameter) bells.”

Wooster Elementary openedits doors for the first day on Oct. 13 after being temporarily housed in Westside Elementary classrooms. It is a facility for approximately 430 students from kindergarten through fifth grade.

River Valley Ozark, Pages 104 on 11/27/2008