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Our town clock was
built in 1859 in Tiffin OH by Phillip Seewald, a watchmaker and jeweler
from Bavaria Germany. The clock was housed in a church tower
at Fremont OH for about seven years and was brought to Hudson about 1874
by John Phillip Seewald, one of the three sons of Phillip Seewald.
All of the parts of the giant clockworks, even to nuts and bolts, were
built by hand. Screws were apparently cut on an old fashioned foot
power lather. Wrought iron, brass, copper, lead, wood and hemp rope all
went into the construction of the time piece.
The movement operates through the use of weights and pulleys, rather
than springs, weighing several hundred pounds. The works maintain
accuracy from a seven foot pendulum which carried a lead weight the size
of a dinner plate and more than an inch thick.
The huge works which operates the city clock are located in the basement
of the Seewald Building now owned by The Pro Shop. For the seven
foot pendulum a section in the basement floor directly below this
osculating body was cut. Weights estimated to range upward to 500
pounds are used to wind the eight day mechanism and for this purpose, Mr
Seewald dug still another hole in the cellar floor. From this
arrangement emerged a systems of levers that connected to the face up on
the street.
Five generations of
Seewalds have wound the clock and cared for the works. Mr Henry C
Blanks became proprietor in 1931 as Mr Seewald died in December of 1928
after having been in business for about 66 years. At the time of
his death, he was the oldest active jeweler and watch repairer in the
State of Michigan.
Mr Blanks carried on
the responsibility for its care until his death in 1958, when his son
Charles took over until he closed the jewelry store in December 1981.
He presented it to the Public Library but due to the considerable cost
it would be to move it, through community effort over $9,000 was raised
for restoration and it was left on Main Street, dedication ceremonies
being held during Mayor Exchange Day of Michigan Week in May 1983. |
