Large bell stolen from cemetery in southeastern North Dakota

GWINNER, N.D. (KFGO) – A piece of history in southeastern North Dakota has been stolen.

Thieves have taken a 600 lb. bell from White Stone Cemetery northeast of Gwinner.

Sargent County Sheriff Travis Paeper says the bell was reported missing over the weekend by the cemetery’s groundskeeper. He last saw the bell over the Labor Day weekend. Paeper says more than one person had to be part of the theft, given the weight of the bell. It was yellow bronze.

The bell was part of a church that opened in 1889. The church closed in 1969 and the bell was placed at the cemetery sometime after that.

Paeper says he’s working to develop leads and suspects.