Williamsburg, Va. – NewsChannel 3 Meteorologist Dominic Brown was able to participate in a very special activity in honor of Black History Month.
Earlier this month, we covered the story about the restored bellat one of the country’s oldest African-American churches, the First Baptist Church of Williamsburg.
“The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation reached out to me to ask if I wanted to ring the bell and I gladly accepted the invitation. It was awesome! Just to be part of that experience is amazing and an important thing for me to do – if not everyone,” Dominic said.
The church kicked off its 240th anniversary celebration on February 1 by ringing its restored church bell that has been quiet for decades.
The bell was installed in the church’s former location on Nassau Street in Williamsburg in 1886 and then relocated not that far away to the current building on Scotland Street. Tina Gessler with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation helped restore the bell, “The bell was very rusty, covered in a very thick layer of dirt, bird and rodent droppings. So we ended up steam cleaning it and after we steam cleaned, we did what’s called a rust conversion treatment using tannic acid.”
For more information on how to register to ring the bell or other activities associated with the church, click this link.
RELATED:
Restored bell at history Williamsburg church rings for the first time in decades
Historic Williamsburg church prepares for big celebration for Black History Month
