NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WATCH AND CLOCK COLLECTORSHISTORY*
In 1943 L.D. Stallcup was a Certified Master Horologist living in Nashville, Tennessee. He Collected odd movements, and felt that the watch collectors ought to get acquainted to exchange ideas and trade duplicates. Robert Franks was a Philadelphian, so hungry for horological news and association that he used to travel to New York City to attend meetings of the Horological Society of New York. Henry B. Fried was in the group. Others too came - there was no other place where kindred souls might meet - Jack Fuchs, Professor Willis Milham, Jean Roehnch and Dr Karl Vogel were regular members. Cultural and antiquarian horology was Robert Franks chief concern. With L.D. Stallcup and another Tennessean, LE. Coleman, they mailed one hundred copies of a Watch Collectors' Club prospectus. These five typed pages were later considered BULLETIN # 1. Forty three persons responded and enrolled in this new organization. Requests to include clocks resulted in a name change. The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors was used in BULLETIN # 2 dated November 8, 1943. National officers were elected. The Philadelphia Watchmakers' Guild became Chapter # 1, as it had been founded prior to NAWCC. The first Annual Meeting (later to be called Convention) was held in Philadelphia on October 28, 1944. A draft of the Constitution and Bylaws was compiled.  The first NAWCC headquarters and museum
with Earl Strickler on steps. |
Since 1943 this non-profit organization has grown from 52 Charter Members to an international organization with
over 23,000 members and 173 Chapters. NAWCC publishes two bimonthly periodicals, the BULLETIN and the MART. "Why Columbia?" is the most often asked question about the location of the Association's National Headquarters. The connection started in 1952 when Earl T. Strickler of Columbia, Pennsylvania (located off Route 30 just 80 miles west of Philadelphia) was elected Secretary. He organized and was caretaker of all the Association records. In 1953 be was named BULLETIN Editor. He carried out all of these duties in the basement of his home. As NAWCC grew, he hired employees and rented office space. In 1971, with membership nearing 12,000, a separate building was purchased at 514 Poplar Street. It became the Headquarters office. Prior to 1971 Mr. Strickler maintained his own private museum in his residence. In 1971 NAWCC formed a Museum Acquisitions Committee to solicit donations. In 1977 doors opened to the public to an 8,000 square foot gallery. In 1985 a gallery addition doubled the existing exhibit and library space.
In 1998 the Museum was again expanded and a large addition was added to
the building with new office space for the staff and the museum was
expanded to fill in the entire old building.
 The Bell Studio Street Clock was donated by Mrs. James Bruce (Louise Matheson) Bell and her two sons in 1992. This historic Seth Thomas four dial street clock stood in front of the Seneca, South Carolina Photography studio of James Bruce Bell. A twenty one year member of NAWCC and a Professional photographer, the clock was given to the NAWCC Museum as a Memorial. A three dial, chime, restored O.B. McClintock Public clock was donated and installed at the NAWCC Headquarters by members of the Oscar T. Lange Memorial Chapter #20 Minnesota. An original Tower Clock with Carillon has been donated. A tower has been constructed to house this gift. * Reprinted in part
(with some fact updates) from the 1993 NAWCC National Convention Program |
