Can You Ring the Bell?

No. The Liberty Bell was last rung in February 1846, for Washington’s Birthday, and a second crack then “silenced the bell forever”, according to the NPS. Visitors cannot ring or touch it. Once a year, on July 4, descendants of the signers of the Declaration tap it 13 times.

Last rungFebruary 1846

OccasionWashington’s Birthday

Since thenSilent, tapped not rung

July 413 taps, one per original colony

By the 1840s the bell had cracked. The 1846 repair filed the sides of the crack wide, which is the visible gap today, and ringing it that February extended a thin crack “from the abbreviation for ‘Philadelphia’ up through the word ‘Liberty’” (NPS). After the repair failed, the bell was kept as it is, as a symbol. The crack page explains both cracks, and the July 4 page covers the tapping ceremony, known as Let Freedom Ring.

Frequently asked questions

When was the Liberty Bell last rung?

In February 1846, for the Washington’s Birthday observance; Wikipedia gives 23 February 1846.

Why did they stop ringing the Liberty Bell?

Ringing it in February 1846 extended a second crack, which “silenced the bell forever”, according to the NPS. The crack page has the details.

Is the Liberty Bell rung on July 4?

It is tapped, not rung: descendants of the signers tap it 13 times, in the afternoon; the NPS and local news publish the time. See the July 4 page.