Loose Ends: Whatever happened to … the noon whistle?

What happened to the noon whistle?”someone asked the other day. The absence of that high-pitched shriek reminded me of my own reliance on the bells of St. James as a time management device. The bells used to be the only other community time-marker until the clock on the courthouse lawn was erected
“Do you know what time it is?”
“Well, I heard the noon whistle so it must be just after 12 o’clock.”
“Any idea…