Of town clocks and mantel clocks

[ctr]

Some may be too young to remember town clocks and their purpose, or even the mantle clock found in most homes until the 1970's. Pre quartz watch era, long before the internet, and even before time and temperature dial up numbers were available the town clock fulfilled a vital role in the community.

Town clocks, often church clocks, or sometimes the courthouse clock on the town square served an important purpose in the lives of town-folk. Synchronized timekeeping for the community. When the bells rung everyone knew the correct time in the community. Folks would check and adjust their watches, desk clocks, and mantle clocks as necessary.

Why the mantle clock when the town central clock gave the time? Town clocks often ceased tolling the time past a certain hour in the day so as not to disturb residents evening hours. The mantle clock filled the gap during those hours.

Grandfather clocks were found in some homes and these filled a similar role to the mantle clock.

Wrist watches were mostly manual wind and their owners would wind twice per day, once at bedtime, and in the morning.

 

[Doc4]

 

[garyg]

We didn't have a town clock, but my grandparents had a mantel clock that still tolls here to this day .. the price to rebuild it is insane but somehow comforting in honoring their memories .. wish I knew how to insert an example of the chimes

 

[Billski]

our clock was in the kitchen. It was electric and had a short wire to the plug in.

 

[T.Orso]

Dropping off my daughter for a camp this morning I knew we were right on time because the bells on the nearby church were ringing the half hour.

The massive bell at old city hall can be heard all over downtown.

I love the old clocks and their bells. I’m always checking the time when I am downtown.

 

[ColtRevolver]

My grandparents were dairy farmers. Needless to say no town clock was around. They had a mantle clock with the time on the top face and a calendar on the bottom. It was in their bedroom. It chimed 24 hours a day and I believe on the half hour. I remember hearing that thing all night long. It's still sitting on the mantle in my 100 year old grandmother's bedroom. I suppose it still runs. They also had a cuckoo clock that sounded off every hour 24 hours a day. Of course, the two clocks were never in exact synch.

My grandfather was a mountain of a man and wore bib overalls. I guess he couldn't easily find a wrist watch or didnt like them. He carried a pocket watch in his bib watch pocket. It was on a leather strap. I guess he carried it 60+ years. I have it. It still runs great.

I dont know who was the official time keeper or where they got the time prior to the time and temp phone number, which I feel was probably an invention of the 70s.

 

[ctr]

My grandparents were dairy farmers. Needless to say no town clock was around. They had a mantle clock with the time on the top face and a calendar on the bottom. It was in their bedroom. It chimed 24 hours a day and I believe on the half hour. I remember hearing that thing all night long. It's still sitting on the mantle in my 100 year old grandmother's bedroom. I suppose it still runs. They also had a cuckoo clock that sounded off every hour 24 hours a day. Of course, the two clocks were never in exact synch.

My grandfather was a mountain of a man and wore bib overalls. I guess he couldn't easily find a wrist watch or didnt like them. He carried a pocket watch in his bib watch pocket. It was on a leather strap. I guess he carried it 60+ years. I have it. It still runs great.

I dont know who was the official time keeper or where they got the time prior to the time and temp phone number, which I feel was probably an invention of the 70s.

Neat family background.

The phone lines generally originated in the 1960's. Banks were among the front runners. Some previous methods existed as far back as the 1940's though widespread use didn't happen until the late 1960's and early 1970's.

Prior to that railroads often delivered the most accurate time keeping and no doubt may have been used to keep town and church clocks in sync.

 

[T.Orso]

In Canada, since 1939, you can set the time from CBC radio.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newf...es-75-years-of-official-time-on-cbc-1.2823599

 

[velocityboy]

We didn't have any town clocks. The town's fire siren (tornado siren) would sound once every day (except Sunday) at noon. And yes everyone in town was within earshot of it so you know it was a really small town. If the siren continued for ten full cycles it meant there was a fire and the volunteer firemen would rush to the station.

 

[ctr]

We didn't have any town clocks. The town's fire siren (tornado siren) would sound once every day (except Sunday) at noon. And yes everyone in town was within earshot of it so you know it was a really small town. If the siren continued for ten full cycles it meant there was a fire and the volunteer firemen would rush to the station.

I remember that in my hometown as well. Was an air raid horn.

 

[garyg]

Maybe it is a figment of something, but seems like to me the radio stations used to sound a gong on the hour ..

 

[StillShaving]

There was a very interesting series broadcast on PBS some years ago called "How we got to now". The episode on standardized time was one of the better ones. Highlighting how Noon was set locally in each community before time zones were established.

How We Got to Now | PBS

Learn about the remarkable ideas that made modern life possible.

www.pbs.org

 

[FarmerTan]

our clock was in the kitchen. It was electric

 

[razorboi]

Maybe it is a figment of something, but seems like to me the radio stations used to sound a gong on the hour ..

It was usually just before the news.
The BBC and the World Service have been doing it since the advent of the wireless. It is a series of short beeps, the last one being precisely on the hour, except occasionally I remember hearing the chimes of Big Ben instead.

 

[T.Orso]

Running late this morning. It looks like that clock on the bridge is 6 minutes fast, though.

 

[Doc4]

I think it's about 10 minutes to crab.

 

[Beefdrippings]

My grandparents had a mantel clock, and I remember lots of people having a small radio in the kitchen. Listen to the news and maybe some shows or even sports talk at night

 

[ColtRevolver]

Yes, many households had a table radio. I love the old table radios and have picked up several here and there over the years for next to nothing at yardsales or flea markets. I have a couple of the same model of Sony table radios from the 70s. I keep one in each garage and play them when I am working. The sound is still fantastic.

My grandparents who were farmers had meals at the same time. The 12:00 meal was known as dinner. Anyway, they always turned the radio in the kitchen at the right time during the meal just to listen to the obituaries. After the obituaries, they turned it right back off. I hated getting shushed for talking during the obituaries...lol

 

[CincyDawg]

I’ve got my grandparents’ mantle clock. It was nothing special, just a run of the mill Seth Williams. We would periodically have it serviced but it finally got to the point it wasn’t worth it. So we had the clock guy remove the works and add a battery operated works that sounds surprisingly good. Every time it chimes I think of my grandparents and many fond memories. Sometimes it’s not just about the time.

 

[ColtRevolver]

Memories are much of what it's about for me. My last grandfather filled out my Christmas card with a generous amount of money in it 3 days before he went into the hospital and unexpectedly didnt come out. I used that money to buy what I consider to be a nice wrist watch. It's the only one I have worn for the past 6 years. I guess because of how I got it I will wear the watch until I can't any longer due to either me or it expiring.