Another find at the Sutton/Kolongowski farmhouse

View of the W.E.B. on the bell. Photo courtesy of Sybil Kolon.

by Sara Swanson

We reported on the finds from the Sutton/Kolongowski farmhouse deconstruction project that happened last fall. Sybil Kolon let us know that within the last month there is another find to add to the list!

On invitation, a metal detectorist, Chris Trudell, investigated the area. The most interesting find was a crotal bell (sleigh bell) and right next to it was a buckle most likely from a horse harness. They were found at a depth of over 12”, between the house and the footbridge over the creek. Trudell reported that it was in native, undisturbed soil.  

Kolon explained that the bell had the maker’s mark “W.E.B.” on one side and a horse engraving on the other and that according to Trudell, the two together allowed for it to be dated to as early as 1850 and the maker to be identified as William E. Barton in North Hampton, Conn. 

From https://classicbells.com: William E. Barton was the son of Hiram Barton and grandson of William Barton, who began making sleigh bells as early as the 1790s in New York. William E. Barton manufactured sleigh bells at his father’s East Hampton foundry until it was destroyed by fire in 1874. He then relocated the business to a nearby foundry originally built by the Union Bell Company and resumed making bells. By 1881, the business had been sold to other family members and renamed the Barton Bell Company.

View of the engraved horse on the bell. Photo courtesy of Sybil Kolon.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.