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Keepers of the Clock
 
The Gibson county courthouse clock has always been cared for by local residents. The clock was made in Thomaston, Connecticut , by A. S. Hotchkiss a employee at the Seth Thomas Clock Company. The clock was installed in 1899 by the Seth Thomas Clock Company and local jeweler Herman Vollmer Sr. Vollmer a native of Germany, was born in Baden, Germany, on February 18, 1861 to Joseph and Walburga Mauer Vollmer. Vollmer was contracted from the very beginning to take care of and maintain the courthouse clock. He would earn $50  the first year to maintain and keep the clock in working order, and wind the clock every eight days. 

In 1879 Vollmer left Germany and went to England where he worked this trade. In 1882 at the age of twenty one Vollmer came to the United States by boat, arriving in Boston and coming directly to Princeton Indiana. Vollmer began working for a watchmaker named Caudel and went into business for himself opening in the Pfohl Shoe Store (this store would later become the Adam D. Heldt Shoe Store) this marked the beginning of Vollmers 54 year business career as a jeweler and watchmaker in Princeton. Late in 1883 Vollmer moved his watch making and jewelry store to 103 West Broadway where he would remain until his retirement. Vollmer was regarded in Princeton as a pioneer businessman and a outstanding watchmaker and citizen. At the time of his death he was still working and was the oldest businessman in Princeton at that time. He was at the same location for nearly 54 years. We believe Vollmer was still maintaining the clock until the time of his death on March 6, 1937.  Vollmer had two sons Joe and Rudolph.
 
Edward Shrock worked for Vollmer for several years and was known to have helped with the repairs of the clock. Edward Shrock was born 1851 and died in Princeton in 1943, he is buried by the flag pole at St. Joe cemetery.
 
 We are currently (Dec. 2006) researching who would take Mr. Vollmers place as clock keeper. If you have any information you would like to share please contact me at ctrwoody@insightbb.com or (812) 386-3489. 
 
 It is known that in 1940 William Sinclair of 215 North Hart street was doing work on the clock.
 
In 1947 shortly after Lester Scraper moved to Princeton from his hometown of Otwell, Indiana, Lester would become the next clock keeper. 
It was a jewelry store that brought Scraper to Princeton in 1948. But it was the clock that kept him here and fulfilled his life.

Scraper completed watchmaker and jewelry school at Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., at the age of 22.  Scraper  came to Princeton to work at the J. Hershel Monroe Jewelry Store. In 1973, Scraper bought J. Hershel Monroe Jewelry and renamed it Lester Scraper, Your Jeweler. For the next 20 years, Lester sold, repaired and engraved fine jewelry, crystal, china, silver and clocks.

Lester was a master Jeweler and one of the best in his trade, but the two most important things in Lester’s life was his family and the clock atop the  Gibson County Courthouse. 

On Lester’s first trip to Princeton he noticed the beauty of the courthouse and was immediately intrigued by the clock and wondered how it worked.

Shortly after moving to Princeton in 1948 one of his first undertakings was to become the next keeper of the clock.  For the next forty years keeping the Gibson County Courthouse clock in working order and accurate would be one of the most important things in Lester’s life. Everyday on this way to work Lester would stop just before entering his jewelry story on the south side of the square and glance up to check the clock. Even when Lester and his wife Jean would go on a trip, the first thing Lester would look for when returning would be the courthouse clock. 

One night while driving up Hwy 41 south of Princeton returning from a short trip Lester told his wife Jean, “the light is out” and Jean said what light, to which Lester pointed to the courthouse still three or four miles away and said the light on the clock is out. The first thing the next morning before opening his store Lester would make the climb up to the clock and replace the light. Lester enjoyed the clock and would pass that enjoyment along to his children. As soon as the children could safely make the climb to the clock he would let them go with him. Lester made numerous trips up to the clock every year. Two times a year  to reset the clock for daylight savings time and anytime a light would burn out or a storm would knock out the power  Scraper would make the climb up to reset the clock.

Lester would turn the duties of keeping  the clock over to his son Keith Scraper in 1984 and in 1988 Lester's daughter Terra "Scraper" Schmidt  began taking care of the courthouse clock. Lester would continue as owner operator of the jewelry store until 1993 when he sold the jewelry business to his daughter and son-in-law, Terra and Gary Schmidt. Terra renamed the store Scraper Jewelry. Lester’s wife Jean still works everyday in the jewelry store with her daughter Terra. (Nov 2004)

Lester L. Scraper was born December 3, 1924 in Pike County and passed away September 24, 2000. 

He was an active adult Boy Scout, honored by the Buffalo Trace Council Three Rivers District with the Silver Beaver, the highest scouting honor a local council may bestow, for volunteer activities, including organizing the first local mountain-climbing expedition to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.

Scraper and Jean, his wife of 50 years, spent much of their free time camping.
They were members of Gibson County Trailblazers and the Patoka Loafers Chapter of the National Campers and Hikers Association.

 
 Keith and Terra Scraper
Terra "Scraper" Schmidt has been the  current clock keeper for the passed 26 years. She took over the duties of caring for the clock from her brother in 1988 and you can tell by talking to her she enjoys caring for the 105 year old clock and is proud to carry on the family tradition. It is unclear if there is another Scraper waiting in the wings to carry on the the family traditions, but I sure hope so.