This is one of the crucibles that was left at Harmony Hollow. The date drawn into the concrete top says 1974. There is another one over at the Stamp Mill that somehow has a tree growing through part of it.
These are the crucibles that were used to cast Jeff Cross’s bronze bells for his foundry, Harmony Hollow Bell Works. The business was moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, after Jeff’s death in 1977 and is still operated by his brother, Bradley Cross.
The story goes that people would live at Harmony Hollow in buses, campers, and who knows what else, as they passed through town. In exchange for a place to stay, when it came time for bell casting for large orders Jeff would call on them to help with the process.
