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At 15, 30, and 45 minutes the most brilliant
past the hour, Father Time
strikes a bell with a scythe and
turns his sandglass while the
central figures of Youth,
Middle Age, and Old Age
revolve in the arch above the
clock dial. At 40 minutes past
the hour, a group of revolution- The exhibit con-
ary soldiers appear from the
clock while a barrel organ plays
patriotic tunes. At 55 minutes
past the hour, the three which changed not
Marys come out of the center
tower as a procession of the
Apostles takes place accompa-
nied by hymns.
The Engle Clock
Other Interesting Timepieces
Although most of the pieces in the Museum are
designed to be used on land, there are some that
address the challenge of navigating the sea. The
famous H-4 chronometer, invented by John
Harrison, solved the much-puzzled-over and often-life-
threatening problem of finding longitude. The
chronometers on display are cousins and descen-
dants of H-4. There is also a clock that tells the
time on Mars.
The Museum also showcases rare time-
pieces including a pocket watch that belonged
to Queen Caroline Bonaparte Murat (sister of
Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte). The watch
was made by Abraham Louis Breguet, one of
continued from page 29
combination of ingenuity, mechanical ability, and aes-
thetics found in New England’s early industries.”
Cheney’s acquisition of clocks started in the early
1920s and spanned three decades. His collection reflects
an appreciation for tall case clocks, decorative mantle
clocks, shelf clocks and “Banjo” wall clocks. It also pays
homage to the craftsmanship and aesthetic of such New
England clockmakers as the Willards, Joshua Wilder,
Caleb Wheaton, Thomas and William Claggett, Samuel
and Nathaniel Mulliken, Levi and Abel Hutchins,
Nathaniel Munroe, Elnathan Tabor, Eli Terry, Seth
Thomas, and Silas Hoadley, among others.
Unique to the collection is a Caleb Wheaton (1757-
1827) Tall Clock. It is a superb example of the clockmak-
er’s art in the late 1700s in that it is both an exquisite
machine with a third hand to indicate the day of the
month and a moon’s age dial, as well as a beautiful and
striking piece of exquisitely crafted mahogany furniture
standing well over eight feet high. Elements of its case,
made by a now-unknown Rhode Island cabinetmaker,
such as the raised, carved shell and block front of the
trunk door, the well-executed moldings, and the carved
rosettes and ball and flame finials on the hood are all
superb examples of the block and shell cabinetwork pro-
duced by craftsmen in Providence, where Wheaton
worked. Another is a recent acquisition. The clockmaker
is unknown, and while the clock and the inlaid case are
nice it is unremarkable. It is, however, signed and dated
inside the case in chalk by Oliver Wight, 1791.
Cabinetmaker Wight owned the large Federal-era man-
sion house that is now the Old Sturbridge Lodge, at the
entrance to OSV on Route 20. This is the only identified
example of his work.
Not all the clocks in the collection are tall case clocks.
There are also many fine examples of shelf clocks and wall
30 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles
and famous watch
makers of all time.
There is also an
impressive collec-
tion of watches
featured in the
James Bond films.
nects the iconic
Super Spy to the
Quartz Revolution,
Trinity Church Wall Street clock by E. Howard & Co.
only watches but in operation from 1905 to 2006
the world.
Also in the Public Time Clocks gallery is the Trinity Church Wall
Street Clock. Located just blocks away from the World Trade Center
towers on September 11, 2001, the Trinity Church clock con-
tinued tracking time and chiming during those terrifying,
grief-ridden hours in New York City.
The Time on the Road Gallery features clocks from car
dashboards and steering wheels as well as from various aircraft.
In a nod to its Pennsylvania roots, the Museum shares the
history of Masonic pocket watches created by the Dudley
Watch Company and displays an extensive collection of time-
keepers, models, drawings, and ephemera from the Hamilton
Watch Company of Lancaster, PA (now a part of Swatch).
Another gallery favorite is the Novelty Timepieces Gallery.
Since the earliest days of the mechanical clock, clockmakers
have sought to make timepieces that are mechanically and
decoratively unique.
The Museum is located at 514 Poplar Street in Columbia, PA,al
For more information, visit www.nawcc.org.
The Chronometer
clocks, including “patent timepieces,” variations on a
design by Simon Williard made by him, his relatives, and
competitors as more affordable but still attractive alterna-
tives to tall case clocks. “Shelf clocks, many made with
cheaper 30-hour movements by Connecticut makers
such as Seth Thomas and Eli Terry increasingly trans-
formed clocks from luxuries for the wealthy into a com-
mon feature in many households,” shares Kelleher.
When asked about his favorite, Kelleher is quick to
point to a Simon Willard Tall Clock. “It is hard to pick
only one clock, since so many appeal to me for different
reasons, but Simon Willard (1753-1848) was such a pro-
lific and influential clockmaker that it has to be one of
his, especially an elegant tall case clock like that, with a
mahogany case topped by intricate fretwork and brass
finials. It’s a classic of its type.”
Although it took a few decades for Cheney’s clocks to
find an appropriate home in the village, the J. Cheney
Wells Clock Gallery opened in May 1982 showcasing
114 clocks and five watches. While the collection is pre-
dominately Cheney’s, Kelleher shares that the original
collection has been refined to focus on clocks pre-1840,
and new pieces have been added so the collection can tell
the complete story of the “Democratization of Time” in
the 19th century. “This is the best collection of early New
England clocks, anywhere,” says Kelleher about the col-
lection as it has now been curated and displayed.
While off the beaten path as one heads into the
Village, a visit to the Gallery is well worth the time, espe-
cially on the hour when the sound of clock chimes
remind us of the enduring beauty and precision of these
works of art and science.
Simon Willard Tall Clock with a mahogany
case topped by intricate fretwork.