Lost Mountain’s historic bell finds new home in Sequim

Published 4:30 am Wednesday, April 22, 2026

A piece of Lost Mountain’s history now has its place cemented at Sequim Museum & Arts.

Clallam County Fire District 3 staff brought the bell formerly housed atop the Lost Mountain Fire Station 33 to the museum on Friday in the district’s antique fire truck.

The bell, estimated to be more than 100 years old, has been set to go to the museum for two-plus years after fire district leaders announced plans to sell Lost Mountain Fire Station 36 to help support relocating and building a new Carlsborg Fire Station 33 at the Training and Operations Center.

The property was sold to a neighbor in November 2024 for $324,000.

Daniel and Luke Berneking of Doin’ Stuff removed the bell from the fire truck driven by Tharin Huisman, maintenance supervisor for CCFD3, and cemented the bell in place.

The museum’s Executive Director Judy Reandeau Stipe said seeing the bell placed at the museum’s Veterans Monument along Sequim Avenue was very emotional for her.

“We’ve been working on it for so long,” she said of the monument.

The Veterans Monument at 544 N. Sequim Ave. has a concrete wall with 400-plus tiles commemorating veterans and veteran organizations with space for about 1,000 more tiles.

The monument was dedicated on Veterans Day in 2003 and its expansion rededicated in 2014.

Approximately 200 tiles are being readied for placement on the east wall with an unveiling set for 2 p.m. Saturday, May 16. Anyone is invited to the unveiling, Reandeau Stipe said.

Reandeau Stipe said the late Louie Rychlik paid to get the project started that was part of a vision for veterans to have a gathering space.

She said veterans have had memorial services at the museum, and the bell will come in handy for future ceremonies.

It’s not uncommon for people to leave flowers, toy soldiers, and challenge coins at the monument, Reandeau Stipe said.

Allform Welding made the bell’s base and John Duquette of Sequim Redi-Mix donated the concrete for the entire monument.

About Lost Mountain’s bell

The Lost Mountain Fire Station opened in 1980 with on-call volunteer firefighters to serve the area six miles south of U.S. Highway 101.

But the facility only had one active volunteer in 2021. Fire commissioners and staff said in recent years that the district couldn’t afford full-time staffing for the station due to its small call load, and that Carlsborg Station 33 has an approximate 8-minute response time to the region.

The sale came after staff and fire commissioners held forums, and sought volunteer recruits via a mailer and signage.

Reandeau Stipe said the bell had been in a Sequim pioneer’s barn for many years before their family members donated the bell to the fire department for the Lost Mountain station.

The bell dates back to the Lost Mountain School that was founded in 1888 and later Bear Creek School before the school consolidated into Sequim School District in 1937.

It was held in storage before going on the fire station. It’s been stored at the fire district’s Training and Operations Center the last two years.

Fire Chief Justin Grider said the bell and surplus supplies for COVID-19 protocols were the only things salvaged from the fire station before its sale.

Time for tiles

People can still sign up for the Veterans Monument’s 6” tiles before or after the unveiling. Each tile can include a veteran’s name, their military branch, special actions, i.e. World War II, and a unit crest patch with a copy of the graphic.

The tile does not have to be for people only from Sequim, Reandeau Stipe said.

The cost is $25 with applications at sequimmuseum.com/ under the “Veterans Tile Application” tab.

For more information, reach the museum at Director@SequimMuseum.com or call 360-681-2257.

The first part of the Veterans Monument was added by Ted and Pauline Cordua with Carlsborg VFW and museum volunteers with museum volunteer Bob Cooper continuing the project. Navy veteran Myron Spath paid for a flagpole to the east of the monument in memory of his parents Laura and Louis, and his son Wally.

Local Navy veteran Dan Smith, Rychlik and Jerry Brownfield built the addition to the monument.

Tiles were donated by Blake Tile and Stone and Home Depot.