Old Central School Bell
Location 28
Owner: Edward T. Hill, Toledo Lucas County Library
Central School, 325 Michigan Street, Built in 1853 and destroyed by fire in 1895. In 1852, the Toledo Blade wrote, "The elegant building for the Central High School, a drawing of which may be seen at the office of F.J. Scott ESQ. is to be erected on the high ground beyond the bridge... this edifice when completed, will be our great ornament." Brick, terra cotta, and stone were brought directly to the site by barges on the canal across the street. The distinctive tower recalled romantic Italian country villas, and windows of different shapes relieved the monotony of the building's size. Central School established Toledo as one of 25 cities in the nation to offer an education beyond the primary level. It was also innovative since both sexes attended the same grade school and high school, though they entered and exited through separate doors, hallways, and building exits. Now at Scott High School, the 4,300-pound bell in the tower-inscribed "To Learning's Fount The Youth I Call," was long used to signal fires. The last time it rang was to signal its own fire in 1895. (PL.)