The Kaskaskia Bell State Memorial is a brick building that houses a bell cast in 1741 by King Louis XV (1710-1774) of France as a gift to the Catholic Church of the Illinois Country. Originally located at the Immaculate Conception Parish at Kaskaskia, the bell was rung by villagers to celebrate their July 4, 1778 liberation from the British by American Colonel George Rogers Clark (1752-1818). It became known as the “Liberty Bell of the West.” The Memorial also contains murals depicting scenes from Kaskaskia history.

An annual Independence Day program celebrates the July 4, 1778 capture of Kaskaskia by Virginia troops commanded by George Rogers Clark during the Revolutionary War. Contact the Fort Kaskaskia site for details.