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The Victory Bell has been dinged up a few times in its resounding history at Iowa State.

The bell was placed in the south tower of Old Main Hall, where Beardshear Hall now stands. Old Main Hall burnt down in 1902. Because of extensive damage, the original bell was replaced by a larger bell and moved to a belfry on the ground level.

It is rumored that building plans for Beardshear Hall were altered slightly to avoid moving the bell and belfry to a new location.

J. S. Dewell, class of 1881, was one of the first bell ringers. In a letter he wrote to Harold Pride, alumni secretary in 1927, he described his duties:

“I rang what was known as the ‘rising bell’ for five minutes at 5:30 a.m. Then at 6:00 a.m., the bell was struck 10 times — a ‘warning bell’ for breakfast, which was at 6:15 a.m.,” Dewell said. “Everyday, with the exception of Saturday, the bell called a student body of about 600 persons to chapel after the evening meal. At 6:55 p.m., the bell commanded the students to study, and at 9:45 p.m., it was rung for five minutes — a signal to retire.”

In 1900, the Campanile took over the Victory Bell’s daily duties, and the bell took on a new role, tolling the victories of Cyclone athletic teams. It was rung each time the football team scored a victory.

In October of 1955, the tongue of the “Victory Bell” was stolen by the “tricky two from Drake U,” but that didn’t stop ISU students from improvising.

Students rang the bell with sticks and stones after a victory over Missouri, according to an April 7, 1959 Tribune article.

Later that month, the Daily received a letter from the mischievous pair in which they admitted to the robbery, but they never returned it.

Two student engineers stepped up and constructed a new tongue to replace the missing one.

Interest in the bell began to fade in the ’60s and ’70s.

In 1975, the bell was moved from its location behind Beardshear and installed at the north end of the field at Jack Trice Stadium, where it was rung after each football victory.

The bell was put in storage in the 1990s due to lack of use.

Ned Disque, former associate director of the ISU Information Service, remembers a time when the bell was used frequently.

“There always seemed to be some eager young student who would make the run to ring the bell,” Disque said. “But it is so far away, and students have apparently lost interest. It’s one of those decaying traditions that became a victim of the changing times. It probably disappeared along with the pre-game pep rallies.”

Tom Kroeschell, director of sports information for the athletic department, said the bell will see daylight again in late May, when it will be rung during the dedication of the ISU practice fields west of Jack Trice Stadium.

He said the ISU Athletic Department has investigated several options for displaying the bell.

“One of the ideas is to arrange it like the Jack Trice Statue,” Kroeschell said.

The bell is a perfect fit for the athletic complex, Kroeschell said.

“I think it goes hand in hand in the recognition of the football tradition here at Iowa State, which is part of an ongoing process to the area around the stadium,” he said.