In 1873, John M. Hicks was authorized to purchase a bell for Bland County's first courthouse. Weighing nearly 1,000 lbs., it was cast in solid bronze by Kaye & Company, Inc., of Louisville, KY, and arrived by rail and then wagon. Construction of the Bland County Courthouse began in 1871 and took approximately three years to complete, and it was dedicated to the citizens of Bland County on October 22, 1874. The bell survived many years, including the devastating fire of 1888, and during the courthouse renovation and expansion project in 2003, the original bell was removed from its belfry and is now on display.