SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) -- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has returned a 177-year-old bell to the First Presbyterian Church of Iowa City after the bell was stolen and ended up in the hands of the LDS Church through misidentification and a rich history of twists and turns.
Mistaken for the Nauvoo Illinois Temple bell, Hummer Bell was displayed on Temple Square in Salt Lake City for decades. Historians recently discovered its true identity, the Hummer Bell, which was taken from the First Presbyterian Church of Iowa City in 1848 and deceptively sold to the LDS Church.
"This is one of the most remarkable stories you’ll ever hear," said Elder Kirt L. Hodges, an Area Seventy for the Church of Jesus Christ.
The story of the 33-inch wide, 800-pound bell begins with Michael Hummer