The bell that hung in Old Main's bell tower was cast in 1871, and though the date it was installed is unknown, it was in use by 1892 and was a regulator of campus life until the new building was constructed in 1929. Though it was placed atop the new building, chimes took over the bell's role and the bell went largely unused. In 2009 the bell was removed from the tower and restored as part of the gift of the Class of 2009. The bell was then placed in a ground level display on the west side of Old Main in April 2010. For a brief video history, /video/156483/2013/02/09/video-no-title.
This Penn State landmark is part of the iHear Penn State self-guided cell phone campus tour, listed as stop #26. Accessing iHear Penn State is easy. Dial the tour access number (814-308-5020) on your cell phone and follow the instructions. All stops are listed at http://ihear.psu.edu/