The term American clock refers to a style of clock design. During the 1600s, when metal was harder to come by in the colonies than wood, works for many American clocks were made of wood, including the gears, which were whittled and fashioned by hand, as were all other parts. There is some evidence that wooden clocks were being made as early as 1715 near New Haven. Benjamin Cheney of East Hartford, Connecticut, was producing wooden striking clocks by 1745. In the 19th century, many clocks and watches were produced in the United States, especially in Connecticut, where many companies were formed to mass-produce quality timepieces. Makers of American clocks included:
Ansonia Clock Company, 1851–1930 Waterbury Clock Company, 1857–1944 Seth Thomas Clock Company, 1853–1930 W.L. Gilbert & Co., 1845–48 and 1851–66, later Gilbert Mfg. Co., William L. Gilbert Clock Company Elias Ingraham & Co., 1857–60, 1861–1958 E.N. Welch Mfg. Co., 1864–1903 Sessions Clock Co., 1903–56 New Haven Clock Co., 1853–1960 F. Kroeber Clock Co., 1863–1904 Boston Clock Company, 1884–1894, founded by Joseph Eastman
References
Sources Gottshall, Franklin H. (1971). Making Antique Furniture Reproductions: Instructions and Measured Drawings for 40 Classic Projects. New York: Dover Publications. ISBN 978-0-486-16164-8. Before the eighteenth century, when metal was harder to come by in the colonies than wood, which was in plentiful supply, works for many of these clocks were made of wood, including the gears, which were whittled and fashioned by hand, as indeed were all other parts. Safford, Frances Gruber; Heckscher, Morrison H.; Rogers, Mary-Alice (1985). American Furniture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art: 1, Late Colonial Period: The Queen Anne and Chippendale Styles. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Random House. ISBN 978-0-300-11647-2.
External links The American Clock & Watch Museum in Bristol, Connecticut "Chelsea" Clock Museum FAQ at "Dave's American Clocks" Timexpo Museum in Waterbury, Connecticut