Historic bell stolen from northern Ontario school has been located

A historic bell stolen from outside of S. Geiger Public School in Massey in the early morning of Oct. 29 has been located and charges have been laid in the case.

When staff arrived at school and noticed the bell missing, they contacted the OPP to investigate, said a statement issued by Rainbow District School Board.

The bell was relocated to S. Geiger Public School in 1999 when Massey Public School closed.

The date on the plaque for the bell is 1894-1951.

The bell has historical significance to the school and the community, said the school board statement.

An email from P/C Berkley Parisien of the OPP said at the time of the bell’s theft “there was not any evidence or suspects to support an investigation. 

“Since the initial call, further evidence was obtained and as a result, the bell was located and an individual was arrested and charged.”

Parisien did not immediately have details surrounding the person charged or the charges yet, but said a media release would be issued.

Anyone with information about the missing bell is encouraged to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

This isn’t the first time a historic bell has gone missing in Northern Ontario recently. In September, a large bell went missing from the former Our Lady of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church in Goulais.

Several plaques have also gone missing in the Sault area, with SooToday readers believing the thieves could be making money off the scrap metal.

In 2020, the heads and limbs were broken off eight bronze religious statues at the Grotto in Sudbury. They have since been replaced.

David Sirois, assistant financial administrator with the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, said in 2022 the reason behind the vandalism is unknown, but “we think it's probably a financial issue more than anything else,” given the value of the bronze the statues are made from.