Logan County's historic courthouse bell will soon be tolling again after 40 years of silence.

The bell has been repaired and county and city of Lincoln officials will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday to celebrate its first tolling since the 1970s.

Around 1970, officials deemed the bell stand unsafe and decided it wouldn't toll again until it was fixed. That finally happened this year, thanks to a $16,000 grant from Landmarks Illinois, a historic preservation group.

The cast iron bell and clocks were installed when the courthouse was built in 1905.

Logan County Board member Jan Schumacher says the hourly chime "is going to be very special."

Following Monday's ceremony, the bell will ring once per hour, even overnight.