It might be called the Mystery Bell because nobody is quite sure which schoolhouse it came from.

But the bell, made by a famous craftsman at a legendary foundry, attracted lots of interest at a recent public sale.

The September weekday sale of local antiques collected by Hometown resident Bill Yost and his late wife, Beverly Bradbury Yost, drew a small but excited crowd of buyers.

One of the prize artifacts was a historic 1859 cast bell.

The bell is embossed with: CAST BY JOS. BERNHARD & CO. NO 120TH 6ST. PHILA. 1859.

The Tamaqua area bell was purchased for use at one of the earliest free public schools near Tamaqua.

“This bell came from the Lewistown Valley school,” explained auctioneer Dean Arner of Dean R. Arner Auctioneer LLC.

It had been purchased many years ago by Beverly Yost.

“My mom bought it at a yard sale,” said her daughter Beverly Rockovich. “She said it came from an old one-room school in Lewistown Valley.

Lewistown Valley is situated in farm-rich Walker Township, which borders on expansive farmland of West Penn Township.

In the 1800s and early 1900s, schoolhouses dotted the landscape.

There were actually three rural schools in Lewistown Valley.

“And West Penn Township alone had 16 one-room schoolhouses,” remarked retired educator Eileen Meiser.

Most feel the bell came from the earliest Lewistown Valley school, a building razed decades ago.

The bellmaker, Joseph Bernhard, has a fascinating connection to American history. He and fellow foundry owner John Wilbank personally drilled out the crack in the Philadelphia Liberty Bell to keep it from spreading.

The two worked together for years, with Bernhard starting as an apprentice and eventually taking over the Wilbank’s foundry.

Both men’s contributions to bellmaking are legendary.

On his website, Timothy Verdin of T. Verdin Legacy Bellworks describes Bernhard’s contributions to the trade.

“Joseph Bernhard is probably best known for the recasting of the Liberty Bell’s sister bell.

“In 1754 a new bell had been ordered to replace the cracked Liberty Bell. That bell arrived in Philadelphia, but Pass & Stow had already recast the Liberty Bell.

“It was decided that both the Liberty Bell and her sister bell would hang beside each other at the state house, which they did until 1830 when the city sold it to a local church.

“Fourteen years later in 1844 the church burned, and the fragments of the bell were eventually given to Bernhard in 1847 to recast. He recast the bell, and it eventually ended up at Villanova University where it is still kept today.”

Bernhard continued casting bells until at least the late 1860s.

One of the last known is his largest, a 2,200-pound bell cast in 1867 that can be found at Peace Presbyterian Church in Flint, Michigan.

The Tamaqua area bell fetched a top bid of $1,200.

The buyer, an anonymous Williamsport area bell collector, said he intends to use the bell as a family heirloom.

“I’ve purchased historic bells as gifts for each of my children,” he said. “This bell will be the final one I need.”

He also said he would determine if the bell is made of bronze or brass and then carefully restore it.

While some feel it’s unfortunate the bell did not stay in the Tamaqua area, they also say it’s fortunate the relic will be lovingly preserved as opposed to being melted for scrap value.