Narrated by David Reichard
This clock originally hung in the Sanctuary of the prior church building, which was destroyed by fire on November 23, 1967. It hung on the front of the balcony, not facing the congregation, but clearly visible to the preacher! Provided the sexton wound the clock and it was running properly, the minister would never run the risk of preaching too long since the time was viewable from the pulpit.
After the fire, the clock was restored and hung in our current building’s library, however after years of non-use and likely overwinding, it stopped working. It was removed from that room during a renovation of the library space in 2001 with the intention to restore and rehang it. It sat for over 21 years in the pastor’s office closet and was finally cleaned and restored by John Whalen in 2023, made possible by a gift from the members of Circle 4. On June 4, 2023, it was rededicated in celebration of our church’s 175th anniversary. It requires little attention, just a weekly winding (it is considered an 8-day clock, so manual winding every week is necessary to keep it going.)
Interestingly, the inside of the clockwork includes the handwritten names of many earlier members, staff, and friends of the church who have lovingly cared for, maintained, or repaired the clock since it was given to the church in 1870 as a gift from Daniel Russell. Truly, this timepiece is its own time capsule.
Coincidentally, we are told that this clock also has an identical twin, which hangs in Pilgrim Trinitarian Congregational Church, UCC in Dorchester, MA. For over 35 years, our church had a mission connection with Pilgrim Church, as they carried out a lunch program and served many people in their urban location.
First Congregational Church in Melrose, UCC 