Cast in bronze in San Francisco in 1899 by W.T. Garrett Company and weighing 2500 pounds, this fire bell was originally installed atop a 60 foot wooden tower that burned down in the Great Fire of 1901. It was then reinstalled atop a steel tower in Lundy Lane. Deactivated in 1949, it was replaced by a fire alarm system with nine alarm boxes. The fire bell and tower were later sold to advertise a chicken restaurant on Highway 99 in Lodi. In 1986, Los Gatos resident Andy Kinyon discovered the fire bell and donated it back to the town. Former mayor John Lochner and architect John Spaur restored it on a 26 foot steel tower in the town plaza, and on July 4, 1987, during the centennial celebration of Los Gatos, the historic fire bell rang once again. It remained in the town plaza until 2002, when it was relocated to the museum on Tait Avenue. The restored bell has been returned to a place of honor at the civic center and will now ring to celebrate the veterans and first responders who have given so much for peace and freedom.