New York Mills, NYPublished •Verified 2026-11-07

New York Mills' 1840 Curfew Bell Moves to Centennial Park on Main Street

Why it matters here

The bell once set the daily rhythm of mill life in the village, ringing workers in at 6 a.m. and kids home at 9 p.m. Now it sits where anyone walking Main Street can see it.

Graphic poster illustration of the Middle Mill clocktower in New York Mills
Illustration: The Middle Mill clocktower, New York Mills

New York Mills' old curfew bell now stands in Centennial Park on Main Street, directly across from the village firehouse, after being moved there in late October 2026, the Daily Sentinel reports. Oneida County's Main Street program, which built the park for the village's 2022 centennial, paid for the move. Mayor Ernie Talerico says the bell still works, though it isn't rung on a schedule anymore.

The bell's path:

Year Where it was
c. 1840 Cast in Troy; hung in a mill cupola at the Upper Mills
1904 Fell and cracked in a mill fire; recast by Meneely Bell Co. in Troy
1959–60 Given to the fire department, mounted atop the old firehouse
1986 Moved to ground level beside the new firehouse
2026 Centennial Park, Main Street

The bronze bell weighs about 1,000 pounds. It isn't the village's only mill bell: a second one, from the No. 2 Mill, has been a monument since 2000, according to the New York Mills Public Library.

← Back to News Briefs