The Willard House and Clock Museum

Time is something I often take for granted. I think of it frequently, mostly in the context of how much I’ve spent and how much I have left. Whenever I’m curious, I have time at my fingertips: my watch, or my phone, the wall clock, oven, microwave or even toaster. Everywhere we look, there are items listing the time, but like many things, it wasn’t always that easy.

• Thomas Jefferson signed Simon Willard’s clock patent
• Clockmaking spanned 3 generations and 104 years of Willards
• About 22 people worked to complete one clock

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Sundials, water clocks, and hourglasses have all been utilized for their ability to measure time. When mechanical, tall, clocks were invented, they held the place of honor for hundreds of years. However, a man named Simon Willard completely changed that.

In North Grafton, you can drive through the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine to the Willard House and Clock Museum.

The Willard Family were famous clockmakers, known for their quality and revolutionary products. Then they taught others who became famous in their own right, boasting large businesses.

Before that though, their father was a shoemaker. He had 12 children, four of whom went into the business of clocks. Benjamin, the oldest, started out with shoemaking in Rhode Island. He moved back to Massachusetts, and is next listed as a clockmaker, likely having hired someone to teach him the craft.

Apprenticed under him was his brother, Simon. Soon following were younger brothers Ephraim and Aaron. Simon was an innovator. Unlike some others, he understood the mathematical principals behind the clockwork, and saw ways in which he could improve it. In his life, he received three patents, but the second was the most well-known.

For many years, there had been tall clocks, which ran for 8 days without a winding, and smaller clocks which had to be wound every 30 hours.

But in 1802, Simon patented the ‘Patent Clock,’ which ran for 8 days straight, was powered by weights, and could hang on the wall. Unsurprisingly, these new models became wildly popular, quickly surpassing the tall clocks.

Yes, tall clocks, not grandfather clocks. That term was applied in 1876, after the well liked song, “My Grandfather’s Clock ” by Henry Clay Work. Just missing the Willards’ business years, the family would never have called their clocks that.

Another Jefferson/Willard association is Simon’s construction of the tower clock for Jefferson’s design for the University of Virginia. Usually, tower clocks required 3-4 stories of space to allow the weights to drop their full length. However, Jefferson wanted the clock face to lie directly above the columned entrance to his domed structure. Simon devised mechanics that sat in the corner of the building, while still moving the dial in front.

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Back in North Grafton, the humble clockmaking shop where the brothers first started was built around 1766. It probably saw shoemaking in its first few years. I imagine the single room must’ve been quite crowded in its heyday.

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The Willards actually only constructed the inner workings of clocks, known as the movements. Cabinetmakers built the wooden cases, and other craftsmen designed the faces, finials, and various decorations.

Interesting to note, is that the clock faces were often imported from England. Also, painted faces came later; they replaced etched brass. Some clocks included dials marking the days of the month, and phases of the moon.

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As business progressed, the 3 younger Willards all moved to the Boston-Roxbury area. There they were closer to the port where they imported goods from, and to the more skilled artisans they collaborated with.

Ephraim Willard was the quiet son; not as much is known about him. The museum owns two tall clocks made by him. At one point, he moved to New York. The only mention of him after that was when one of his daughters married a then-famous actor.

Of the four, Aaron was the sole clockmaker to die with money. Though Simon did well, he lived long after he retired, and used any savings he had accumulated.

Benjamin went broke several times. Staying in North Grafton, he traveled around to a few other shops he owned. The exact reason of his financial troubles isn’t known. However, to pay back the cousins he owed, Benjamin sold more and more of the Willard property. Finally, he sold the house, and then the shop itself. He then moved to Baltimore, without his wife and children. Three years later, he died at the age of sixty. Details are left to speculation.

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Aaron’s son, Aaron, Jr., and Simon’s sons, Simon, Jr. and Benjamin Franklin carried on clockmaking into the second generation.

Simon Jr. and his son, Zabdiel made clocks until 1870, when they simultaneously retired. Simon, Jr. because he was 75, Zabdiel because they had enough money, and clocks were no longer a viable way to prosper.

The industry was quickly being taken over by mass-producers, such as Waterbury and Ingram, leaving small craftsmen far behind. In their 104 years, the Willards constructed 1,000’s of clocks. Now that number could be made in one year by the factories.

The Willard house was slated for demolition when Roger and Imogene Robinson purchased the property in 1968. Avid antiquers, they filled the house with period items, and provided the basis of the clock collection. The house became a museum in 1971. Later they added on higher-ceilinged galleries to house all the tall clocks they had gained.

For $10, I received a 90-minute tour. The site lists the tour as being approximately 1 hour, depending on how many questions you have. Perfect for a rainy day excursion, the Willard House and Clock Museum gives us a glimpse of time that we often overlook.

Willard House & Clock Museum

Historic house museum located in Central Massachusetts. Home of Willard clock makers

Try this link to learn about the different parts of a clock!

Antique Tall Case Clock Terminology

Antique tall case clocks or grandfather clocks contain a number of common sections such as the hood, waist and the base.