Curator Joshua Fink and the replica Liberty Bell. Note the small, original church bell to the left.

Every day hundreds of people file past the Liberty Bell in its glass home outside of Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Over the past two centuries the bell has become known as a symbol of freedom and democracy across the globe. What isn’t as well known is the fact that if it wasn’t for a committed band of Lehigh Valley farmers, the iconic bell might not have survived the first year of the Revolutionary War.

The Liberty Bell Shrine at Zion UCC Church in Allentown is a tribute to the brave patriots that smuggled it out of Philadelphia before the British captured the original American capital in 1777. The bell was hidden beneath the sanctuary of the church for nine months during the British occupation.

The main exhibit is a 2,500-pound, life-size replica of the original Liberty Bell, one of 48 – one for each state — commissioned in the early 1950s by Ford Motor Company for a U.S. savings bond drive, said Joshua Fink, curator of the shrine. The bells were toted around each state and used in rallies to promote the bond sales. Next to the large bell is a smaller, 100-pound bell that once hung atop the Zion church and rang out the call of liberty when the Declaration of Independence was first read in Allentown – then known as Northamptontowne.

“We also have Revolutionary War exhibits and the First Defenders exhibit,” said Fink, referring to a Civil War display honoring Allentown soldiers who were the first to arrive in Washington D.C. to protect the capital after the start of the Civil War in April 1861. “We do impromptu guided tours and we have our Patriots Art Gallery depicting scenes related to our various freedoms, such as religion, speech, press.”

The Liberty Bell replica sits in a corner of the museum where the real bell was hidden from September 1777 to June 1778. In August 1777 a team of 700 wagons traveled from what was then Northampton County to Philadelphia – the capital of the fledgling nation – to take all of the church bells before the British redcoats captured the city, which they held while George Washington and the Continental Army wintered at Valley Forge.

The patriots feared that the British would melt down the church bells – including the Liberty Bell, then housed securely atop the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) – for musket balls and cannon shot. Led by Whitehall Township farmer John Jacob Mickley, the caravan made it to Bethlehem, where the wagon carrying the Liberty Bell broke down on Sept.23, 1777. The next day farmer Frederick Leaser used his wagon to bring it to Zion Reformed, where it was hidden under the sanctuary until the British left Philadelphia.

The shrine opened in 1962 to celebrate Allentown’s bicentennial, and the replica bell, which was donated to Pennsylvania and temporarily displayed at the state capital and the Daniel Boone Homestead in Birdsboro, Berks County, was moved to Allentown as the key exhibit.

“I love it. It’s fun,” said Becky Krawiec, a Bethlehem native now living in Buffalo, N.Y. Krawiec and her husband were visiting with their two children, niece, nephew and Becky’s mother. “I’m fairly sure I was here as a child as part of a school field trip. It’s a nice part of American history.”

The Liberty Bell Shrine is free but they do accept donations. Docent Jerry Still said most visitors are generous because they want to support the museum. Fink said they try to update exhibits regularly to keep things fresh.

If You Go: The Liberty Bell Shrine and Zion UCC Church are located at 622 W. Hamilton St., Allentown, just a half block from Center Square and the towering Soldiers and Sailors Monument at 7th and Hamilton. Metered, on-street parking is usually available and there are parking decks and lots just around the corner at 6th and Linden streets.

What To Know: The Shrine is open noon to 4 p.m., Monday to Saturday from April to November and Wednesday to Saturday in February and March. It is closed in January.

Misc. Facts: The Zion UCC Church is an important landmark in Allentown. Founded in 1762, it was home to the first Allentown School in 1774 and served as the birthplace of Cedar Crest College in 1867.