In 1894, the Montgomery Presbytery organized a new church in East Radford named Radford Central Presbyterian Church. One of its members was James Hoge Tyler. Mr. Tyler was instrumental in establishing the church, including the plans and building erection. Besides being an outstanding layman in his denomination, Mr. Tyler was held in high esteem by all who knew him. As a result, the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia elected him Governor, an office in which he served from 1898-1902. In honor of ex-Governor James Hoge Tyler, who for 31 years was an elder in the church, the church name was changed from Radford Central to Tyler Memorial on September 2, 1934, after he passed in 1924. In 2004, the building was torn down.

The bell was stored for twenty years and then was gifted to Belle-Hampton Farm from Radford Presbyterian Church. After finding just the right spot, the proprietors, ancestors of the governor, raised the bell again.