Most visitors to the National Museum of Singapore will likely walk past a large bronze bell in the bowels of the Singapore History Gallery without realising its significance to Singapore and the United States (U.S.).

Even the most conscientious and observant of them.

Sandwiched between grandiose portraits of Stamford Raffles and genuine Singapore rickshaws, the bell does not look particularly impressive at first glance. In fact, it's actually placed parallel to its Chinese cousin, the Ning Yeung Wui Kuan Bell, and hidden behind a glass case of bronze tools from the 19th century.

Despite its relative anonymity, however, the bell actually provides a fascinating— and surprising— insight into colonial Singapore's relations with the U.S., which was hardly more than a collection of colonies itself at the time of the bell's creation.

This is what it looks like.

Why is it so significant?

The Revere Bell was originally a gift to the Church of St. Andrew (now St. Andrew's Cathedral) in 1843, courtesy of Maria Revere Balestier.

Balestier was the wife of Joseph Balestier, the first American consul to Singapore, and the daughter of American revolutionary war figure Paul Revere.

You may have heard Revere's name before— he is best known for his "Midnight Ride", a tale nearly as ubiquitous in American classrooms as the name "Lee Kuan Yew" in Singaporean classrooms.

Why is Paul so revered?

On April 18, 1775, right in the midst of the American Revolutionary War, British troops stationed in Massachusetts planned a march to Concord to capture and destroy the American patriots' military stores.

Revere, a silversmith and patriot who previously participated in events such as the Boston Tea Party, refused to allow the British carry out their plan, after learning of it.

He set out on horseback from Boston to Lexington and Concord, warning civilians along the way of the incoming attack. He was captured outside Lexington just before midnight, but his mission had been accomplished. The entire countryside had been warned, and the Americans were safe, if only temporarily.

Revere's contribution to the revolution actually went unrecognised until the publication of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's famous poem, "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" in 1861, which embellished Revere's role and skyrocketed him to national recognition and celebration.

Today, he is known as a key figure in America's Revolutionary War effort, and a true national hero in the U.S..

Although it was later revealed that Revere never actually shouted those famous words "the British are coming!" (he had to remain secretive on his journey), and that he was only one of many messengers travelling to Lexington and Concord that night, his role in shaping history is nonetheless important and should be celebrated.

And, luckily, us Singaporeans can do that right here at home, thanks to Revere's day job.

Paul Revere, the bell-maker

When he wasn't busy saving colonial America from the British, Revere was a jack-of-all-trades. He served in the military, practiced dentistry, and fathered a whopping 16 children. At times, he also created copper engravings with political themes, such as this famous one:

He also owned a series of metalworking firms, such as Paul Revere & Sons, which focused on manufacturing church bells, the Revere Copper Company, and finally Revere Copper and Brass, Inc.

The Revere Copper Company was stationed in Boston, Massachusetts, and cast almost 400 bells between 1792 and 1828. Only 134 are still in existence. One of them is our very own Revere Bell in Singapore, which is also the only Revere bell outside of the U.S.

These bells were renowned for their clear, mellow tones, and were widely used in colonial America. Maria Balestier's gift was a meaningful one, and certainly did not go to waste.

But what was the bell used for?

Back in the day, Singapore was not the low crime safe haven we know it as today. Robberies and assaults were common after dark, warranting an 8pm curfew. The beginning of this curfew was signalled each night by the firing of a gun, and, beginning in 1834, five minutes of bell-ringing.

Balestier's gift to the church was conditional — she wanted additional warnings sounded so that sailors would be reminded to return to their ships, and so that residents would remain watchful.

The daily sounding of the bell continued even after Maria Balestier's death in 1847, and only stopped during the demolishment of the church in 1855.

Even before St. Andrew's Cathedral was completed in its place, however, the pealing of the bells began once again.

In 1874, the regular 8pm alerts stopped, but the bell continued to be used in the cathedral until it was replaced by a peal of bells from the Captain J. S. H. Fraser family in 1889. The Revere bell was then shoved into storage in the Public Works Department facility at Kandang Kerbau (KK).

In 1911, the Balestiers' bell felt love again when it was briefly loaned to St George’s Garrison Church at the Tanglin Barracks. They used it regularly — perhaps too regularly.

All work and no play soon took its toll on the bell, which cracked irreparably and was moved to the Royal Engineers store yard.

It wasn't until September 1937 that authorities at the Raffles Museum (now known as the National Museum of Singapore) noticed the bell and decided to take it home, where it was polished and placed at the entrance of the museum for many years.

Apart from a brief stint at the United States Embassy from 1997 to 2006, the bell has been there ever since. American dignitaries often enjoy visiting it, including Tip O'Neill, former U.S. Speaker of the House.

The inscription on our bell reads: "Revere, Boston 1843. Presented to St Andrew’s Church, Singapore, by Mrs Maria Revere Balestier of Boston, United States of America".

It serves as a great reminder of early Singapore-U.S. ties, which remain strong even today.

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Top photo from Josh Blackman's blog.

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