Photo: Kathryn Kirk

If you happen to be wandering around downtown Brooklyn with your brood during the next few weeks, be sure to stop by Borough Hall. From now until October 23rd, Coney Island’s long-lost Dreamland Bell—which was retrieved from the Atlantic Ocean last month—will be on display.

The 500-pound, three-foot-tall bell was discovered under water in September by diver Gene Ritter; it landed on the ocean floor back in 1911 when an 18-hour fire burned down Dreamland Park. Because the bell was underwater for almost a century, the only way to preserve it is to keep it wet (a hose has been set up to trickle water over it while it’s on view).

For young fans of Coney Island and parents depressed by the park’s sorry state, the bell is a nice reminder that the Brooklyn fun zone has faced tough times in the past—and managed to overcome them and flourish. So cheer up and give your kids a peek at NYC history. There may still be glory days ahead for Coney Island. We’re particularly excited about the newly-bright future of  its other underwater spectacle: the New York Aquarium.