Baxter Clock
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Baxter Clock is a historic
street clock A street is a public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, ...
located in
New Bern New Bern, formerly called Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and t ...
,
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
. It was manufactured in 1920 by the
Seth Thomas Clock Company The Seth Thomas Clock Company was founded by Seth Thomas and began producing clocks in 1813. It was incorporated as the "Seth Thomas Clock Company" in 1853. The company manufactured clock movements for the Self Winding Clock Company from 1886 th ...
, and erected in 1930 opposite the front entrance of Baxter's Jewelry Store. The four-sided clock has brass and steel works contained in a spherical
cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impur ...
case which consists of three stages. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
(NRHP) in 1973, but in 1977, an accident resulted in the broken clock being placed in storage for almost fourteen years. The Baxter Clock is thought to be one of three operating clocks of its kind remaining in the country.


History

Street clocks were installed in many American cities from the 1860s to early-20th century, with the two largest manufacturers on the East Coast being the Seth Thomas Clock Company and the E. Howard Clock & Watch Company. The Baxter Clock stands in front of 323 Pollock Street, a Dutch Revival style property built in 1918 that was the longtime home of the Baxter's Jewelry Store. The building now houses Baxters 1892, a jazz club and bar. It was manufactured by the Seth Thomas Clock Company of Thomaston,
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
. The clock was built in 1920, but features a style and design similar to ones made in the late-19th century. Baxter's Jewelry Store, previously located on Middle Street, moved to Pollock Street around 1920, but didn't have the clock installed until 1930. It was listed on the NRHP on July 2, 1973. The clock was also designated a contributing property to the New Bern Historic District, which was listed on the NRHP on June 19, 1973. On May 5, 1977, a furniture truck backed into the clock, damaging the pedestal. Benny and Della Baxter hired a salvage company the following day to use a crane to lift the clock from the pedestal so it could be repaired. During the procedure, the clock was accidentally dropped causing it to smash into pieces on the sidewalk. The cast iron casing of the clock was relatively unscathed, but much of the workings was heavily damaged. The accident shocked the Baxters and residents of New Bern. Dabney Coddington, then a curator at
Tryon Palace Tryon Palace, formerly called Governor's Palace, Newbern, was the official residence and administrative headquarters of the British governors of North Carolina from 1770 to 1775. Located in New Bern, North Carolina, the palace was often at the ...
, said "That block of Pollock Street really looks naked, believe me." The Baxters attempted to repair or replace the clock, but were unsuccessful. The surviving pedestal was all that remained on the street for the next fourteen years while the broken pieces were stored in the basement of the jewelry store. In 1990, the non-profit Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corporation wanted to see if it was possible to restore the clock. Swiss Bear was granted ownership of the clock by the Baxter family on the condition it was restored. Swiss Bear in turn told city leaders the organization would help restore the clock if the city took over ownership and maintenance costs following the restoration. A Swiss Bear representative contacted the clock manufacturer
Verdin Company The Verdin Company is a manufacturer of bronze bells, clocks and towers based in Cincinnati, Ohio in the United States. The company has been making bells for use in bell and clock towers, peals, chimes, and carillons since 1842. They also m ...
of
Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
which had the original patterns of the clock case. Swiss Bear began the Baxter Clock Restoration Campaign which raised the necessary $28,000 needed for repairs. The repaired clock was dedicated on April 20, 1991, with special guest Patricia Dorsey, Secretary of the
North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is a cabinet-level department within the state government of North Carolina dedicated to overseeing projects in the arts, culture, and history within the borders of the state. The cur ...
, in attendance. The clock is believed to be the only one of its kind remaining in North Carolina.


Design

Baxter Clock is approximately tall and is illuminated at night. The clock is supported by a slim column on top of a tall pedestal while metal supports extending below the ground act as an anchor. The pedestal is painted black while the clock and column are brown. The pedestal features three vertical square panels, each covered with fluting, on all four sides. The top of each pedestal face includes the imprinting, "Seth Thomas," the clock manufacturer. Behind the panels on the north and south sides are doors with an iron knob allowing access to the
clockwork Clockwork refers to the inner workings of either mechanical devices called clocks and watches (where it is also called the movement) or other mechanisms that work similarly, using a series of gears driven by a spring or weight. A clockwork mec ...
. The clockwork inside the pedestal is an iron weight pulled down two iron rods by gravity. When this occurs, a steel and copper
pendulum A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced sideways from its resting, equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward th ...
is swung, which in turn moves the hands of a small clock located behind the pendulum. The face of this clock is inscribed with the text "Seth Thomas, No. 2139, July 24, 1920". The interior clock regulates the four exterior faces of the clock. The pedestal and column are separated by two stepped stages. The fluted column features a molded base and
Corinthian Corinthian or Corinthians may refer to: *Several Pauline epistles, books of the New Testament of the Bible: **First Epistle to the Corinthians **Second Epistle to the Corinthians **Third Epistle to the Corinthians (Orthodox) *A demonym relating to ...
style capital decorated with fern
palmette The palmette is a motif in decorative art which, in its most characteristic expression, resembles the fan-shaped leaves of a palm tree. It has a far-reaching history, originating in ancient Egypt with a subsequent development through the art o ...
s. The top of the clock was cast as four separate sections. There are visible seams on each corner of the clock as well as decorative lion heads surrounded by a palmette border. Each lion has an iron ring in its mouth. Each face of the clock measures in diameter and is protected by a glass cover. The time is indicated by hour, minute, and second hands made of iron, with black capital Roman numerals (hour), black squares (minutes), triangles (hour divisions), and
diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, bu ...
(three hour intervals). The north and south faces feature black lettering reading "BAXTER THE JEWELER" while the east and west faces include the lettering "DR. J. O. BAXTER EYESIGHT SPECIALIST". The top portion of the clock includes
Arabesque The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foli ...
crocket A crocket (or croquet) is a small, independent decorative element common in Gothic architecture. The name derives from the diminutive of the French ''croc'', meaning "hook", due to the resemblance of crockets to a bishop's crosier. Description ...
s above each face and a three-tiered finial. The finial is decorated with twisted fluting and leaf molding.


See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Craven County, North Carolina


References

{{National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina Buildings and structures completed in 1920 Buildings and structures in New Bern, North Carolina Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina Clocks in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Craven County, North Carolina Street furniture Historic district contributing properties in North Carolina 1920 establishments in North Carolina