It is encouraging to see as many as 100 people come to an outdoor event or concert here, many of whom have never been to Willard before. We are working hard to bring these same people back, perhaps to tour the house and workshop, to bring their children to see magical puppets perform, or, to learn more about "Clocks for Kids". Hopefully, good family programming will encourage a return visit, and perhaps spark an interest in horology along the way.

Last weekend, Willard hosted the annual meeting of Chapter 8 of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors who have been gathering here annually for over 40-years. With four horological lectures and a tour of the new exhibit, “Horology in Art” lead by exhibit curator Bob Frishman, it was a very full day of horology. Willard will always have horology on our menu for the future.

The Trustees met recently with a full agenda of reports, budget analysis and a keen eye to the next 50-Years of Willard. One of the suggestions gaining traction is to build a horological research center which would be an expansion of Willard serving new, but consistent purpose: to display a very important promised clock and watch collection in beautiful gallery settings, add classroom/workshop space for teaching the sympathetic restoration of clocks and watches, provide a modest auditorium for lectures and programming, house an horological research library (over 5,000 volumes with more to come!), staff offices and storage.

If acted on, a new building would be carefully situated somewhere on our 52-acres allowing easy access to all we have to offer. This would of course, in no way impact our treasured historic building or its pristine setting.

Trustees have asked that your director explore the possibility of building a horological research center and present a report at the next meeting in the fall. This center would ensure that horology would find its rightful place among the other long-regarded sciences, perhaps as one of the most important sciences, although never mentioned in K-12 standard textbooks. Further, it would train the next generation of clock and watchmakers to care for the incredible timekeepers passed down throughout the last centuries, currently in museums or private collections.

It is fitting that during the celebration of ‘50-Years at Willard’, we explore the next-fifty for horology, science and the Willard House and Clock Museum. But alas, Tempus Fugit! We must act soon before our population forgets the engaging sound of a ticking clock, or how important horology has been in virtually every scientific discovery made in the modern world.

We appreciate your continued support in the past, present and future, allowing us to share the importance of horology and the many contributions of the Willard clockmakers. For now, the future is our challenge. If you have special skills you can offer with the planning phase our horological research center, I am always happy to hear from you!

Sincerely,

For many years, I needed yearly reinforcement of the unique nature of the clockmaking trade. Fortunately in my library, I had copies of some of the best reading necessary to become fluent in the language and methodology of an American, 18th century shop. Among the best for this purpose.

-Connecticut Clockmakers of the 18th Century, both by author Penrose Hoopes.

Shop Records of Daniel Burnap was published in 1958 and has long been out of print. It is a great auction or Ebay find. The second Hoopes book originally published in 1930, has been reprinted several times, including as Dover paperback in 1974. These are seen more readily in auction and Ebay venues than the Burnap publication for modest prices.

I would be very remiss if I neglected the life-long study of Charles F. Hummel, With Hammer in Hand, first published in 1968, and reprinted for the third time in 1976. I cherish my personal copy given to me by the author in 1978 while visiting Winterthur with my friend and New Hampshire clock scholar, Charles S. Parsons.

This book thoroughly documents the work of three Dominy craftsmen of E. Hampton, NY. from 1765-1820; their tools, their clocks and furniture and their life with a vast amount of surviving documents allowing Hummel to tell a fascinating story. It is considered to be the pièce de résistance of any craftsman's library.

A thorough Google search will turn up options for these books and if you are lucky any of the three will come your way! Or, if an NAWCC member, you may want to check their lending library.

RCC

On May 5th, Willard opened the new Horology In Art exhibit to the public.

Among the original artworks are a

c. 1830 folk-art portrait of a mother and child holding a pocket watch; the preparatory watercolor by Anatol Kovarsky for a 1961 New Yorker cover showing a watchmaker in his shop; and a portrait miniature on ivory, circa 1840, in which a young woman’s watch and chain are visible. The portrait on the right is of Catherine Gates Willard from our collection. Can you find the horology?

The exhibit included a high-quality guide designed to lead visitors through the displayed items - more than 60 in all.

Paul J. Foley

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