The Bell Casting was a 2 day event starting Saturday August 30 with 
the molding & casting of the bell. Then on Sunday, August 31, 2003, 
at Noon the cermony opening the mold and then the Bell Ringing 
Ceremony was held at 5 PM during which Walter Phillips Bates rang
the Bicentennial Bell for the first time at this years Fulton County Fair. 
This was a great event for Fulton County as well as for Walter.  Walter 
is very knowledgable historian, former teacher and educator in our County.
Walter Bates is age 92 and lives in Oakshade, a retired farmer who also 
taught in the Evergreen School for 33 years, Walter is described as 
"kind of like", Mr. Fulton County. He has been involved in the Fulton 
County Historical Society for more than 30 years and headed up the 
county's celebration of the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976.  He is also a 
member of the Fulton County Agricultural Hall of Fame.

• Walter's ancestors came over on the Mayflower and three of them signed the Mayflower Compact.....

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• Walter has also been very active with the Fulton County Fair and was instrumental with getting the log cabin to the fair, the organ, and many other things....

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• Walter also wrote and had published a history of Chesterfield schools-
"Chesterfield Township Schools"
Fulton County, Ohio
1838 - 1982
by Walter P. Bates