MEMBERS

CHAPTERS

MUSEUM SHOP

PUBLICATIONS

The Engle Monumental Clock

While poring over some old museum files of potential acquisitions about a year ago, I ran across some correspondence and pictures regarding a clock that immediately made the adrenaline flow and the heart start pounding. Here was a clock that was advertised in the 1870's as the "8th Wonder of the World," stood over 11 feet tall, was 9 feet long, and was touted to rival any clock in the world. It was constructed over a 20 year period by a man named Stephen Decatur Engle in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, and had been exhibited up and down the east coast for almost a hundred years.

Reading further, I discovered that the clock had disappeared in the early 1950's, and had been vigorously sought after until it was found residing in a barn in upper New York state in 1983. NAWCC founding president Robert Franks wrote an article describing the piece and asking information regarding the whereabouts of the Engle clock in the February 1952 BULLETIN. A letter, written by a relative of Stephen Engle requesting information on the clock, appeared in the October 1977 BULLETIN. Also in the file were various newspaper articles wondering what had become of the Engle clock.

Upon its rediscovery in 1983, the Engle clock was purchased by an entrepreneur, moved to another barn in Connecticut, and offered for sale. The Smithsonian and the NAWCC Museum expressed a desire to purchase or exhibit the Engle clock, but were unable to come to terms with the new owner. Since the clock was in a state that could only be described as decrepitude, and due to its immense size, the potential market definitely seemed limited, and so the Engle clock remained in storage for another five years awaiting its resurrection.

A quick call to the owner confirmed that the clock was still for sale and that he might be a little more willing to negotiate on the price and terms since several years had passed with no takers. What transpired next can only be described as a whirlwind of activity; contacting the Museum Trustees and Council members for support of the project, putting together a purchase agreement, making arrangements for transport, and, finally, setting out at 4 AM on a foggy October morning with two stalwart volunteers and the Museum Conservator in quest of the Engle clock.

Twenty-one hours, two snow showers, a wrong turn that routed us through Binghamton, New York, and a flat tire later, the Engle clock arrived at its new home in Columbia. Looking around at the sections and pieces of the clock in the warehouse, two things became immediately apparent. One was that we were very fortunate that all of the pieces were intact, and that there was an ample supply of material describing how it was supposed to look and function. The other was that we were looking at a restoration project, which had assumed the proportions of rebuilding Berlin after the war.