Liberty Bell Pin

The Case:

A woman in Charlotte, North Carolina owns an unassuming pin that, according to her family’s lore, is actually made of metal drawn from the Liberty Bell.

It seems unfathomable that a piece of one of America’s most iconic symbols could have been melted down for a mere memento. But our contributor’s great grandfather claimed that he wore the pin to an event important enough to lend credibility to his unlikely story.

A generation after the Civil War, America was still recovering from its traumas. Dramatic measures were called for to heal the nation’s economy in those dark days. The Liberty Bell became a symbol of unity as it traveled from north to south.

History Detectives recalls the staunch efforts for reconciliation during this tenuous time in U.S. history.

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