Premiered July 25, 2013
Did you ever wonder why a siren goes off in Old Town every night?
This is Diane Foster, with your weekly Park City History Bit.
Lots of locals have their own theories why the siren goes off every night – from calling home miners from the bordellos and bars to checking that everyone made it out of the mines alive. The truth, however, is more practical and nostalgic.
Built in 1901, the Bell Tower on Main Street housed a 1,500-pound bell to alert residents and firefighters of danger. To ensure the siren worked, the fire department performed a daily check at 10 p.m. This test soon doubled as the city-wide curfew for local children, and the “Ten O’Clock Whistle” was born. Though there is no longer any curfew, and an electric siren replaced the bell in 1948, you can still hear the siren sound every night at 10 p.m.
This Park City History Bit is brought to you by the Park City Museum, where you can explore Park City history every day on Main Street, and sponsored by Julie Hopkins of Keller Williams Real Estate.