Local artists will decorate Liberty Bell replicas for nation's 250th anniversary

Pennsylvania’s plans for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States in 2026 include placing replicas of the iconic Liberty Bell — decorated by local artists — in all 67 counties, including two in Westmoreland.

A replica bell also will be placed at Point State Park in Pittsburgh. Bells will be placed in Greensburg and Murrysville in Westmoreland. Organizers are seeking an artist to decorate the Murrysville bell.

Designing the bell that will be installed this summer in Greensburg is a learning curve for Ligonier artist and Main Street Gallery owner Mandy Sirofchuck.

“I taught mosaic classes, and I have a 5-by-10-foot mosaic in my house, but this is the first time I’ve worked on a curved surface,” she said.

Sirofchuck pitched a glass mosaic design to the Westmoreland chapter of America250, part of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission that is working out the federal government’s anniversary plans.

“We have all this natural beauty here, we have so much wonderful history, and so my bell is going to feature images of our wildlife and things in the county,” Sirofchuck said. “I also have a way of creating image decals and firing them onto glass. So I’ll have these sepia-toned photos that will also be part of the bell design.”

Sirofchuck said she’s been researching historical photos since she was initially contacted in 2024 about working on one of the bells, which cost about $10,000 and purchased by a sponsor. Sirofchuck’s bell is sponsored tourism group Discover Westmoreland.

Dawn Lamuth, advisor for America250’s Westmoreland chapter, said the bell looks stunning even as a work in progress.

“It brings the community together in an engaging way,” Lamuth said. “There’s artwork, there’s information surrounding the themes, which ties into the history of the county. It tells our story within the broader context of America’s 250th anniversary.”

That history, Lamuth noted, predates the nation.

“The Hannastown Resolves came before the Declaration of Independence,” she said.

All of that history is part of the reason state Rep. Jill Cooper, R-Murrysville, pitched power company FirstEnergy on placing the bell they sponsored in her hometown.

“I asked if they wanted to place it near the site of our first commercial natural gas well in Murrysville,” Cooper said. “I think we’d like to install it near the Westmoreland Heritage Trailhead (on Route 22), so that it will be seen by the most people.”

America250 will pay a $1,250 honorarium and is seeking an artist for the Murrysville project. In concert with its sponsor, the bell’s artistic theme will be “More Energy in Westmoreland,” and should illustrate the region’s history of energy production.

To be considered, artists should email dlamuth@golaurelhighlands.com for an application, which is due by June 16.

Sirofchuck’s bell will be unveiled Aug. 10 outside the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg. The Murrysville bell does not have an unveiling date yet. Both will go on display officially throughout 2026 during the semiquincentennial.

For more on anniversary preparations, see America250.org.