The Baxter Street clock - a new lease on life

On May 5, 1977, disaster struck when a furniture truck
backed into the clock and bent the clock pillar.The remaining
paneled based stood as a constant reminder of the tragic
accident for the next fourteen years.

An essential element of downtown’s sense of place, in addition to its historical structures, is its street furniture. Street lights, signage and benches provide a sense of intimacy throughout the downtown.

A striking and cherished street amenity dominating the 300 block of Pollock Street is the large 1920 oversized cast iron four faced clock. Known as the Baxter Four-faced Street Clock, this important landmark is a highly prized community possession listed on the National Register and is one of a very few that still remain in this county. 

The Baxter Street Clock reached the $28,000 goal in a matter
of months and was dedicated on April 20, 1991

Today a rarity, street clocks were a common streetscape element in many American cities from the 1860s well after the turn of the 20th century. Small business owners, like New Bern’s J. O. Baxter family who bought and installed this 1920 Seth Thomas street clock on July 24 in front of the Baxter Jewelry Store, painted the name of their business on the clock faces as a convenience to customers and distinctive way to advertise their store.

The street clocks in the eastern part of the United States began to be manufactured in the 1860 –’70s, primarily by the Seth Thomas Company and the E. Howard Clock & Watch Company, two successful American pioneer clock companies.

Larger than human scale, initially the clocks were operated by a mechanism based on a weight calculated according to the number of feet needed for its fall. When wound, the clock would run for eight days. By the early 1900s, they were mechanized and operated from a master clock inside owner’s store.

Located on sidewalks, near the curb, many were prey to sidewalk ordinances or more frequently, automobile and truck accidents. Such was the fate of the Baxter Street Clock. On May 5, 1977, disaster struck when a furniture truck backed into the clock and bent the clock pillar. In an attempt to straighten it, the Baxter family hired a salvage company with a crane to lift the clock off the pillar and straighten it before placing the clock back on the pillar.

Good in theory, however as the crane picked the clock up, it was accidentally dropped shattering into a multitude of pieces as it hit the sidewalk.

The shock was felt throughout the state.

Excerpts from a letter written on May 10, 1977, by Dabney Coddington, then curator of Education at Tryon Palace to Janet Seapher, a historian in the state’s Historic Preservation Section, Archives and History, provides a personal account and reaction:

Dear Janet:

I hate reporting things like this. The enclosed Sun Journal article covers it fully. The Baxter Street Clock was first knocked loose from its pedestal by a truck very early in the morning, it appears. In righting the clock the next day, you can see what happened.

A comedy of accident and error, but one that has upset a number of people.

Della and Benny Baxter are, as you may guess, quite stunned by the whole happening. The cast iron casing of the clock remains intact, and the upper parts of the workings were what spilled into the street. They have been collected and kept. A letter from you and A. & H. expressing sympathy and offering any advice on repair, would be most fitting. They were very proud of this landmark and I hope they will restore it, even with new modern workings inside. That block of Pollock Street really looks naked, believe me.

Wish I had better news.

When attempts to repair/replace the clock by the Baxter family were unsuccessful, the remaining paneled base stood as a constant reminder of the tragic accident for the next fourteen years.

In 1990, recognizing the clock was an important part of downtown’s history, Swiss Bear decided to investigate the feasibility of having the clock restored. After a bit of research, I contacted the Verdin firm in Ohio, a company founded in 1842 committed to producing the highest quality cast bronze clocks, bells and towers. They had the original patterns of the clock case and agreed to do the restoration project for $28,000.

The Baxter family agreed to give Swiss Bear ownership of the clock base and saved broken parts stored in the basement of the jewelry store on the condition we were able to raise the funds to restore it to its original condition.

Before proceeding with a fundraising campaign and contracting with the Verdin Company, Swiss Bear acquired a commitment from the city to accept ownership of the clock and its on-going maintenance if Swiss Bear raised all the funds and coordinated the project.

The public responded with great enthusiasm and support and the Baxter Clock Restoration Campaign reached the $28,000 goal in a matter of months. Coordination of the project with the Verdin Company took place over the year. The quartz mechanism, installed to enhance the timepiece’s accuracy and reduce maintenance, is battery operated so the original weights seen in the small window in the clock base are no longer a part of the winding mechanism.

On April 20, 1991, the day of the dedication, Swiss Bear transferred clock ownership formally to the City at a ceremony with special guest Patricia Dorsey, NC Secretary of Cultural Resources. When the time came to unveil the precious timepiece, as she tugged on the ropes tied to the tarpaulin covering, the 19-plus foot structure began to waver as the tarpaulin became impaled on the spire at the top of the clock.  

A Public Works employee in a nearby truck with a cherry picker saved the day and lifted the tarp off the clock to a cheering crowd.

Like so many of Swiss Bear’s projects, interested citizens rose to the challenge and their contributions provided a new lease on life for this historic landmark.