Who are Pass and Stow?
Very little is known about the Philadelphia founders, John Pass and John Stow. When the bell cracked on its first ringing, Pass and Stow offered to recast the bell. According to the State House Superintendent, the men were judged as “ingenious workmen” capable of the task. John Stow advertised himself as a brass founder offering items for sale ranging from bell-metal skillets to various brass works. He was born in Philadelphia on February 2, 1727, the second son of Charles and Rebecca Stow. Little is known of his personal life except that was a charter member of the Union Library Company. He died in March, 1754, the year following the final casting of the Liberty Bell. John Pass was a native of the British possession of Malta and may have served as an apprentice bell founder there. Pass later owned Mt. Holly Iron Furnace before arriving in Philadelphia.
