
Macon County Motor Company Ford Dealership, 54 South Rollins Street, southwest corner of Rollins and Goggin Streets, looking southwest, 1950. Several bowling alleys occupied this location over the years. This photograph was taken during Missouri’s Liberty Bell reproduction tour. In 1950, the United States Department of the Treasury, with funding from private corporations, ordered 55 full-scale reproductions of the Liberty Bell for each of the states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. The bells were cast at the historic Paccard Fonderie de Cloches (Paccard Foundry of Bells) in Annecy-le-Vieux, Haute-Savoie, France. A tour of the bells was used to promote the U.S. Savings Bonds sales campaign from May 15th to July 4th. Because 1950 marked the 175th anniversary of U.S. independence, the slogan of the tour was “Save for Your Independence – Buy U.S. Savings Bonds,” which was painted on the side of the Liberty Bell truck beds. Two of the 55 replicas still reside in Missouri. The official Missouri Liberty Bell is located on the north side of the State Capitol grounds next to the Law Enforcement Memorial in Jefferson City and, since Harry S. Truman was the President at the time, an additional replica was given to the City of Independence, Missouri, which resides on the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum campus.