Phillies: Veterans Stadium Liberty Bell returns to the ballpark

A piece of Phillies history has returned to the ballpark in the form of the Veterans Stadium Liberty Bell.

Fifteen years after Veterans Stadium was imploded the Liberty Bell that hung above the seats in center field has been brought back to life.

The Phillies tweeted that the bell, which was hung in the Vet’s catwalk back in 1983, has been installed outside Citizens Bank Park.

Here’s a look at the bell in its new home, which appears to be at the third base entrance next to the Mike Schmidt statue on the corner of Pattison Ave and Citizens Bank Way.

According to NBC 10, the bell will correlate with the new “Pass and Stow” beer garden, a nod to John Pass and John Stow who re-casted the original Liberty Bell in 1753.

The bell weighs more than 5,000 pounds, stands 19 feet tall, and over 300 light bulbs.

Crossing Broad wrote in February 2018 that they contacted the Phillies several times about the location of the bell. They were then told that at some point the bell would return after it exchanged hands post-Vet demolition.

Seeing the old bell in its new home is another fantastic addition to Citizens Bank Park. Team President Andy MacPhail spoke in spring training about how the team allocated money not being used on high-priced players during the roster rebuild to rebuild Citizens Bank Park into a more modern, family-friendly venue.

While the bell isn’t as family-friendly as “The Yard” wiffleball field with a climbing wall, it’s a unique piece of team history that deserves to be displayed for all to see.

Fantastic work by the Phillies for recovering, restoring, and properly displaying a fantastic piece of history.