Antique Clocks in America
Antique Clocks in America
Background
Antique clocks in America owe their existence to centuries of development in Asia, the Middle East and Europe that terminated in the clock making regions of Germany and Great Britain. These, of course, are the geographical areas that provided the greatest numbers of early immigrants to America. Among them came skilled clockmakers. The British immigrants landed at ports that extended almost the entire length of America’s eastern seaboard – from Maine to Georgia. The British clockmakers primarily established themselves in Massachusetts and Connecticut and to a lesser degree New York State and other New England states.
The German immigrants landed primarily at Philadelphia because of the religious and economic freedom espoused by the Penns. From there they moved into Berks and Lancaster Counties and there they made what are now antique clocks in the German tradition. Some Germans also landed at New York, migrated up the Hudson River and then down the Susquehanna River into central Pennsylvania. From there subsequent migrations took them into the Shenandoah valley of Virginia where they also thrived.
Regionalization of clocks in America
In America, although apprenticeships were common and the expected way to learn a trade, the European style guilds no longer played a significant role in the clock making arena. Therefore, clockmakers, assisted by their apprentices and, eventually by relatively unskilled labor, were able to make substantial innovations in clock making unimpeded by the rules of the guilds. Small clocks, such as wall, mantel, carriage, kitchen and banjo clocks appear to have been produced primarily in New England with a focus upon Massachusetts and Connecticut. Tall case clocks were produced in New England and the Middle Atlantic states with their characteristics being primarily English or German depending upon the region in which they were manufactured.
It’s interesting to note that the German clock makers largely continued in the European skilled craft tradition making exquisitely crafted, precise, movements made primarily of brass and steel. The improvements made to these clock movements were generally incremental and occurred over a substantial period of time. The impetus for this, especially as contrasted to the New England clock makers, could have well been that the long established German craft tradition had not yet been affected by the Industrial Revolution that was taking place in Great Britain. Further affecting the pace of innovation was that the output of the German clockmakers was largely long case clocks that required cases made by equally skilled craftsmen. Only a very limited number of cases could be produced, and these clocks were expensive, obviating the need for an increased pace of production of clock works.
The English immigrants, on the other hand, although they too produced fine clocks in various forms, saw that there was a market for clocks made for the ordinary citizen. What stood in the way was the cost of the clocks. Therefore, to an enterprising clock maker the key to successfully addressing this market was to find a way to reduce the manufacturing costs of producing a clock. Thus, the need to reduce costs was established. All it took was for someone to figure out how to make it happen. That someone, in the person of Eli Terry, Sr., did figure out how to significantly reduce the manufacturing costs associated with producing clocks to meet the needs of ordinary people. This was a highly significant accomplishment that directly provided impetus to the rise of American manufacturing.
Innovations in America
Born in 1772, Eli Terry, Sr. apprenticed as a clock maker under master clock maker Daniel Burnap. He also apparently received training and knowledge from Timothy Cheney, a clock maker from East Hartford, CT who was accomplished in the manufacturing of clocks with wooden works. Wooden works were, at the time, unusual, but would play a very significant role in Terry’s clock making career. After his apprenticeship ended in 1792, Terry began making and repairing clocks and watches, working in brass and wood. In 1801 he received the first US patent for a clock mechanism and his production of clocks with wooden works grew quickly.
Over time, Eli Terry purchased a water powered mill to produce clock parts. The water drove a wheel that provided power through gearing and jackshafts to drive saws and lathes that were directed by jigs and fixtures. Using the jigs and fixtures, interchangeable parts were created to facilitate the production of clocks thus obviating the need for large numbers of skilled craftsmen who could only produce 6-10 clocks each year. Terry’s genius was in inventing machinery to mass produce clock components that would require only limited finishing by skilled craftsmen. Subsequent adjustment of the finished clock mechanism by skilled craftsmen would then suffice to provide a clock that kept reasonably accurate time. The major result of Terry’s skill and thinking was that the clocks which started leaving the factory in large numbers in 1816 were the world’s first mass produced machines that employed moving parts. And, it is especially significant that they were inexpensive enough to be affordable by common people. Now virtually every American family could afford to purchase a clock and this was encouraged through newly devised installment plan purchases. Frequent model changes also encouraged clock owners to upgrade their original purchases with newer models. Doesn’t that sound familiar?
American Clock Forms
American clocks occurred in many varied forms – many with strong regional emphasis. Smaller clocks seemed to predominate in New England and New York State. This is, of course, a natural outcome of the invention, development and mass production of those clocks in the region. The demand for inexpensive clocks that kept reasonably accurate time was so great that a myriad of manufacturers were established. Some manufacturers became very large and others remained small but together they produced huge numbers of clocks. Many regional manufacturers specialized in making clock parts that they then sold to other clock manufacturers.
We recommend the following book for those interested in the topic of antique clocks
Miller's Buyer's Guide: Clocks & Barometers (Miller's Buyer's Guides)
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