History of The Gibson County Indiana Courthouse Clock Princeton IN.

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History of The Courthouse Clock

1899 notice no clock

The third Gibson County Courthouse was built in1884, however it would be another fifteen years before the finishing touches would be put on crown jewel of the county.

2004

The Clock Face from the inside

Installed in late1899

In 1899 the county fathers finally found the money to install the clock in the tower of the courthouse. A contract was entered into with the Seth Thomas Clock Co. of Connecticut, and Herman Vollmer Sr., a local jeweler here in Princeton. The clock furnished was a Verdin "No 16 B, eight day, hour striking tower clock." It was made in Thomaston, Connecticut, by A. S. Hotchkiss at the Seth Thomas Clock Company. The clock was supplied with all the necessary trimmings, shafting, wire cable, pulleys and cast iron weights, and four wood shafts dials, each dial seven feet and three inches in diameter. The numerals were made of metal and finished with a coat of gold leaf.

Herman Vollmer Sr.

The clock is to keep time correctly and without a variation in time of more then one minute per month

The price paid for the clock back in 1899 was $878, that included $42 dollars for an inclosure to protect the clock from the weather. Also included $50 for the contractor to wind and keep the clock in top working order for one year. In November 1900 the Princeton Power & Light Company installed light fixtures behind the clock faces so that time could be seen day or night. In an interview by the Princeton Daily Clarion on Nov. 22 1900, with John Parrett and John Ewing of the Princeton Power and Light Company, they stated that the lights for the clock would be installed at no cost to the city, county, or anyone.

The Journey to see the Clock and to the Top

It’s a part of our life everyday, but yet most of us don’t give it much more than a glancing look, and then don’t give it a second thought on how it got there or how it works.

It’s probably one of the oldest if not the oldest continually running mechanisms in Southwestern Indiana. Like a fine Rolex watch it has been silently ticking away for nearly 106 years now.

Installed in 1899, five years after our third courthouse was built, the courthouse clock started out like a grandfather clock with weights, pulleys, and cables, and like a grandfather clock it would have to be hand wound every eight days. The clock was run by two large weights, one 1500 pounds and the other 800 pounds. Most of the wheels and gears are made of bronze with steel pinions running in bronze bearings. The hands were made of wood, the longer hand measures three feet six inches. The face of each clock dial is made of a wood frame with frosted glass and the numbers are made of cast iron covered with gold leaf. Just over a year after the clock was installed in the courthouse, the fledgling Princeton Power and Light, privately owned by local businessmen donated all the materials needed to light the clock face so Gibson County residents could see the clock at night.

It would be another 49 years before the courthouse clock would see any major changes. In 1949 all the weights and pulleys were removed and the clock was electrified. With a little electricity a small motor and two mercury switches the clock would never again need to be wound by hand. However there is a down side to the clock being electrified, when the power goes out the clock now stops. This was not the case with the weight and pulley system, even with no power the clock would keep on ticking.

Since the 1949 upgrade our clock has seen no major changes. Just a little oil, a little cleaning and the occasional fine tuning from the keeper of the clock is all that is needed. It’s American workmanship at its finest.

The journey to the clock is no easy task; it starts with a trip to see the keeper of the clock. After you have met the approval of the clock keeper your journey starts on the main floor of the courthouse were you will enter the elevator. Once in the elevator you need the special key that allows you to go to the third floor.


When you step out the first thing you notice is that you’re surrounded by some of Gibson Counties oldest records. The third floor is where a lot of the old county court, land and tax records are kept. After you have stopped and blew the dust off one of the old books and took a peak at history your journey continues to a small old wooden staircase that leads you to the belfry.


Click on Photo The bell weighs appx. 4000 lbs	Once you reach the belfry you will see the grand old bell that notifies you every sixty minutes that another hour has gone by in your life. At this point you get your first taste of the view you will see from the top of the courthouse.	Buckeye Bell Foundry 1885


Randy Woodruff From the belfry to the clock	After you have caught your breath and decide to move on you will notice the next leg of your journey won’t be an easy one and isn’t for the faint of heart. The ladder you must climb appears to be as old as the courthouse itself and is showing signs of age. After completing the climb you have reached the level of the courthouse equal to the face of the clock. This is where the workings of the clock is housed.
		Susie

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It’s amazing the clock was installed over a hundred years ago and with very little maintenance can still keep time so accurately today.

The Keeper of the Clock

Terra "Scraper" Schmidt

A member of the Scraper Family has been the keeper of the clock for the past 59 years.

Terra "Scraper" Schmidt

	Lester Scraper was keeper of the clock for nearly forty years

Well we’ve come this far, we sure don’t want to leave with out checking out the view from the top of the courthouse.

	The last leg of our journey will be to the very top, but first we will have to climb one more old wooden and very steep staircase, however when you poke your head out of the hatch you will quickly realize the journey was well worth the effort. Click on Photos

It’s a clear day and the view is spectacular. You can clearly see past the Cinergy power plant to the west and to the northeast you can the power plant at Petersburg. What a view, it’s a good five minutes before you notice that the wind is blowing twenty-five miles per hour and the safety rail only comes to your knees. After about twenty minutes its time to go, the clock keeper has completed her work and we must reluctantly leave. I hope the photos here have brought a part of the courthouse and a view of the County not normally seen.


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VIEW FROM THE TOP PHOTO GALLERY
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History of The
Gibson County Courthouse
Princeton Indiana