After more than three decades, the George Prince ferry bell will finally be displayed in St. Charles Parish.
During a lengthy search, the bell was discovered by filmmaker Royd Anderson at the Louisiana State Museum in New Orleans. Anderson produced a 2006 documentary on the ferry accident, in which the George Prince ferry collided with a tanker in 1976. Seventy-seven people perished in the crash, and most of the family members of the victims still reside in St. Charles Parish.
In 2009, the Herald-Guide ran an article asking residents for help finding the bell. Several residents called and said that they remembered seeing the bell several years ago at the Louisiana State Museum (Cabildo).
“After hearing the story from one resident, who read about the search for the bell in the paper, I called the Cabildo and spoke with the director of collections at the Louisiana State Museum,” Anderson said. “Years ago, he said that the bell was part of a rivers exhibit, which explains why folks saw the bell there.”
But after being used in the exhibit, the bell was placed in storage, where it languished until its 2009 discovery.
In October 2009, a monument to the 77 victims and 18 survivors of the worst ferry disaster in American history was built at the East Bank Bridge Park.
Government officials had hoped to place the bell on the monument, but Cabildo officials were worried about the effects weather would have on the historic item.
The East Regional Library recently took possession of the bell and now has it on display in the building. A plastic case has been placed over the bell to protect it.
Photos taken by Fred Hurt, the diver who discovered the exact location where the collision occurred, can also be seen near the bell.
Employees of the St. Charles Parish Department of Government Buildings hand-constructed the bell’s new display stand over a two-week period. Director Bruce Pitre, along with Dwayne Tregre, Rowdy Bourgeois, Reginald Lumar, Robert Roy, Dalton Tregre and Orin Taylor completed the project during down time.
St. Charles Parish Councilman Larry Cochran was a main catalyst in both the monument and bell projects.
“I’m glad to see the George Prince bell finally come home,” he said. “I know it will mean a lot to friends and family members of those lost to have this very sentimental piece of history on display locally. We will never forget.”
The parish is seeking additional related pictures or clippings from the public to display. If you would like to submit items, please call (985) 783-5183 or e-mail publicinfo@stcharlesgov.net. All items will be scanned or copied and immediately returned.
On indefinite loan from the Louisiana State Museum in New Orleans, the 1,000-pound bell may be viewed during normal library hours: Mondays through Thursdays 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
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