Type of clock: Mantel clock Clock maker: Eli Terry Location: Maddock Alumni Center 201 Catalogue number: Historic Property #569 Height: 32 in. Width: 17 5/8 in. Depth: 4 1/2 in. Country: USA Date: ca. 1824 Marks: Paper label Patent clocks, invented by Eli Terry, made and sold at Plymouth, Connecticut, by E. Terry & Sons, warranted if well used N.B. The public may be assured that this kind of clock will run as long without repairs and be as durable and accurate for keeping time as any kind of clock whatever. Instructions for clock: when winding this clock, the left keyhole goes clockwise and the right goes counter clockwise. Do not wind too tight. The hands can be moved forward (only minute hand!) but never move it back beyond the 12. The clock can be made to go faster or slower by screwing the knob below the pendulum up or down.
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Description: This is an original Eli Terry Pillar and Scroll with mahogany and maple finish, complete with an ivory diamond lock escutcheon. It has a scrolled pediment, 3 brass finials, shaped skirt and very thin legs. The face is painted with white and gold Arabic numerals. The swinging pendulum is concealed behind a Chinoiserie reverse glass painting on the lower door. Provenance: No donor's plaque visible. Clockmaker biography: Eli Terry was born in East Windsor, Connecticut on April 13, 1772, the son of Samuel and Hildah Burnham. He was the first to manufacture clocks in large quantities in America and became known as the "father of American clockmaking." He is famous for his clocks, wooden clock movements, and patents, including the first U.S. Patent Office patent for a clock mechanism in 1797. Terry made his first clock in 1792 using brass movements then wooden ones, which he perfected from 1809, after nine patents was issued to his company in Plymouth, Connecticut. In 1816, Eli Terry patented the shelf clock (or bracket clock). The clock's smaller size resulted in a selling priced that was "cheaper including the case." It was easily moved from one room to another and "with the weights in sight, the owner was more likely to remember to wind it." [1] His signature piece was the Pillar Scroll Top. In 1818, his sons Eli Jr. and Henry Terry joined the firm and they were known as E. Terr & Sons between 1824 and 1827. Eli Terry retired with a fortune ca. 1834, and continued to make occasional brass movement clocks and tower clocks, turning his business into his hobby. Penrose Hoopes said of him, "His shop was one where pride of workmanship and high personal skill were combined to make fine clocks." Eli Terry died in Terryvile on February 24, 1852, aged 80. In ca. 1862, his son sold the company to Seth Thomas Clock Co. [2] References: [1] Zea, Philip and Cheney, Robert. Clock Making in New England 1725-1825. Old Sturbridge, Inc. 1992. p. 127. [2] Palmer, Brooks. The Book of American Clocks. The Macmillan Company, New York. 1959.