Fish fry fund-raiser set to mount historic bell

So far, a Holton Boy Scout has raised about a third of the amount he is trying to raise for his Eagle Scout project, the mounting of a historic bell at Holton’s Public Safety Building.

This Friday, area residents will have the opportunity to help 14-year-old Kyle Figge in his quest to raise the funds to mount the bell that dates back to the old S.K. Linscott Farm in 1889 at the home of Holton’s police and fire departments — and enjoy some fish and “mountain oysters” in the process.

The fish fry and mountain oyster feed will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. that day at the Holton Fire Department. Free-will donations will be accepted to help Figge with his project, which also includes the construction of a mounting base for the bell and the placement of two flagpoles near the bell.

Figge said he is looking to raise $3,000 to $4,000 in order to fund the project. His father, Holton Boy Scout Troop 64 Scoutmaster Craig Figge, said that so far, he has raised about $1,100 of that amount.

The project originated when the Holton Fire Deartment contacted the elder Figge about the possible placement of some flagpoles and a bell that the fire department wanted to have removed from the back of the fire station. Craig suggested Kyle look into the bell’s history.

He found out that the bell, crafted in 1889 at the L.M. Rumsey Manufacturing Company in St. Louis, Mo., was used at the old Linscott farm in the 1890s, when horse races were held at the farm, it was reported.

After the races were discontinued, the bell was reportedly used at Holton’s fire station as a “fire alert” in the early 20th century, then was later stored in a barn until it was moved to a newer barn that had stood at Linscott Park.

Kyle devised a plan to build a three-foot high brick monument for mounting the bell, similar to another bell mount that can be found at Evangel United Methodist Church in Holton. The difference between Figge’s planned bell mount and the bell mount at EUM, he said, is that the new mount will have an entirely concrete top.

The bell mount will be placed near the front of the Public Safety Building, but not directly in front of it, Figge said, so that signage on the front of the building will not be obscured. Plans also include the placement of flag poles on either side of the mount, he added.

Donations for Figge’s project may also be mailed to the Holton Fire Department at 301 W. Fourth St., Holton, KS 66436, with a reference to “Eagle Scout Project.”