Historical Society Gets School Bell

The Inglewood Fire Department has given the Historical Society of Centinela Valley a school bell that was on the roof of Inglewood’s first grammar school from 1889 until it was torn down in 1911, historical society officials said.

When the school at the corner of Grevillea and Queen streets was razed, a group of eight volunteer firefighters purchased it as an alarm to summon volunteers to a fire, said Gladys Waddingham, a founder of the historical society.

When a new fire station was built with a siren, the bell was stored away until 1972, when it was used as a trophy for the winner of the annual football game between Inglewood and Morningside high schools. Those games were discontinued in the early ‘80s because they became too rough, said Waddingham, a former teacher at Inglewood High.