Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Mallet |
Donor |
Merrill's Grove Baptist Church |
Description |
The object is a mallet for a large metal church bell. The church bell can produce sound through a wooden wheel and pulley system on the proper right side or in the contact of this mallet with the bell or its wooden platform. The mallet has a metal frame with an arm and a head section. The arm of the mallet is a flat rod of metal which curves upward to the middle and then evens out into a straight line before attaching to the head. There is a hole on the proper right end of the mallet arm, the curved section, where it can be bolted to the bell's platform. Another hole is present at the center of the arm where the curve becomes straight. The head of the mallet is crafted from both metal and wood. It is shaped like an upside down drinking goblet. On the front of the head is the number "2". A wooden peg with a rounded edge fits into the opening on the underside of the metal head. This is the contact point where the mallet hits the wood of the platform to make the bell sound. |
Dimensions |
H-16 L-36 inches |
Place Of Origin |
likely USA |
Owned By |
Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of Poplar/Merrill's Grove Baptist Church |
Used By |
Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of Poplar/Merrill's Grove Baptist Church |
Material |
Metal/Wood |
Search Terms |
Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of Poplar Merrill's Grove Baptist Church Bell Church bell mallet religion Poplar, Iowa Merrill's Grove, Iowa |
Provenance |
This bell hung above two churches in Iowa before being donated to the museum in 1993. Its first home was the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of Poplar, which formed in 1907. By 1929, the adult male membership had dropped to six, including Anders Sand (father of Kenneth Sand, longtime museum member). For years, Anders served as custodian, fire starter, bell-ringer, and as the last President of the Church Council. Due to declining membership, the Poplar Church closed its doors to regular worship services in 1929. During its brief 22 year history, the church performed 118 baptisms, 24 marriages, and 20 funerals. The bell rang at the Poplar Church from 1907 to 1929. In July 1930, the Merrill's Grove Baptist Church, located just a few miles from the Poplar Church, burned. Poplar offered Merrill's Grove the use of the empty Poplar Church until they could rebuild. The new Merrill's Grove Baptist Church was completed in February 1931 at a new location just west of the village of Fiscus. In 1941, the Poplar Church received permission to dispose of the contents of the church and of the church building. The bell went to the Merrill's Grove Baptist Church. Referend Wiuff of Merrill's Grove was the driving force behind obtaining the bell for his church. On August 2, 1942, the bell was dedicated, and it rang every Sunday until the church closed its doors in 1990. According to a newspaper article in the file, the Merrill's Grove Baptist Church was first organized on July 5, 1893 at the Polk township No.7 school. There were 31 original charter members of the church. The actual church building was finished in the fall of 1893 and the parsonage house in 1895. The church was destroyed by fire on July 24, 1930, and a new building was erected three miles northeast. Poplar, Iowa no longer exists. It was located four miles north and one mile west of Kimballton. The church was located on a hill about 1/8 mile north of the village on the west side of the road. The cemetery remains, as do the front steps of the church. The first Merrill's Grove Church was located about one mile north and a mile west of the Poplar Church. |
Date Received by Museum |
4/1993 |
Images |
118\1993059001b.JPG |
Accession number |
1993.059 |
Object Identification Number |
1993.059.001b |