In 1860 Illinois State Normal University celebrated the completion of Old Main, the first building constructed on campus. For two decades, a bell in the building's tower chimed reminders of the hour to the campus community. When the original bell was cracked beyond repair in 1880, replacement efforts began immediately. This bell was installed two years later in the tower, where it remained until the tower was dismantled in 1946. It has since become a treasured piece of history linking generations past, present, and future.