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100-Year-Old Buena Park School Bell Stolen

BUENA PARK (CBS) — A 100-year-old school bell, originally used at Buena Park's first schoolhouse, has been stolen.

The bell was taken sometime last week from the Buena Park School District office on Orangethorpe Avenue, where it had been mounted for the past 35 years, Superintendent Greg Magnuson said. The school district notified Buena Park police on Aug. 11.

The bell was originally installed in 1897 at Buena Park School, a two-room schoolhouse, at the corner of Melrose Street and Grand Avenue. Buena Park School's first class enrolled in 1898 with 23 students in five grades, Magnuson told CBS2 in a e-mail.

Missing Buena Park School Bell
(credit: Buena Park School District)

As enrollment continued to grow, the original schoolhouse continued to expand, undergoing several name changes until it closed in 1979 due to declining enrollment as the J.B. Sullivan School.

The 100-pound school bell was mounted at the district offices in 1976. District officials did not give a value for the bell other than its sentimental importance.

District officials are asking anyone with information about the bell to call the district office at (714) 736-4241.

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