Willard House and Clock Museum
Encyclopedia
The Willard House and Clock Museum, located in North Grafton
, Massachusetts
, USA, is the former farm homestead of the Willard brothers (Benjamin
, Simon
, Ephraim, and Aaron
), who made clock
s there in the late 18th century, before they moved the business to Roxbury
, where they became pillars of the emerging American clockmaking industry. The house was built about 1718. It stands in a rural setting, in the middle of a field that was part of the Willard farm back in the 18th century.
Like other contemporaneous horologists
, the Willard family originally divided its life seasonally, between farming and the clock workshop. Eventually the business became profitable, at which point the house was further enlarged. While in Grafton, Simon, the most innovative and most famous of the Willard brothers, developed his first so called banjo clock
, more properly called the "Willard Patent Timepiece", which was patented in 1802.
, but soon was turned into an independent foundation again, governed by a board made up of representatives of the Willard family, the founding couple, the local community and some horological experts.
The original homestead farmhouse have been added to in recent years and in addition to the original rooms there are now two large galleries. The museum has over 80 Willard clocks, representing the craftsmanship of all the members of the family in the horological trade. While there are several clocks signed Grafton, the exhibits include also clocks made later after the Willard clock enterprise had moved on to Roxbury, Massachusetts
, now part of Boston
.
Besides hosting the world's most comprehensive collection of Willard timepieces there are many Willard family memorabilia on display. The original house is furnished with period furniture, and in the reconstructed workshop building there is a small collection of historic horological tools in a display showing what Simon Willard's original workshop may have looked like. The majority of clocks are shown in running condition.
There is a small gift shop, and the museum has a small Willard-centric library open to museum members by appointment.
Guided tours are available from Wednesday to Saturday 10:00 to 4:00 and Sunday 1:00 to 4:00. Winter hours, which go into effect in January, February and March, are Friday and Saturday 10:00 to 4:00 and Sunday 1:00 to 4:00. The tours last approximately 45 minutes to an hour, and are given by trained staff and docents. The last tour of the day starts at 3:00pm.
Grafton, Massachusetts
Grafton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,765 at the 2010 census. Grafton is the home of a Nipmuc village known as Hassanamisco Reservation, the Willard House and Clock Museum, and the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, USA, is the former farm homestead of the Willard brothers (Benjamin
Benjamin Willard
-The Willard Family:Benjamin Willard, Jr. was the eldest of four brothers who were notable clockmakers in central Massachusetts during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.The other Willard brothers involved in clockmaking include:* Aaron* Ephraim* Simon...
, Simon
Simon Willard
Simon Willard were produced in Massachusetts in the Grafton and Roxbury workshops of Simon Willard , a celebrated U.S. clockmaker...
, Ephraim, and Aaron
Aaron Willard
Aaron Willard was an entrepreneur, an industrialist, and a designer of clocks who worked extensively at his Boston factory during the early years of the United States of America.While at the family farm at Grafton, Aaron Willard developed his career conjointly with his three brothers,...
), who made clock
Clock
A clock is an instrument used to indicate, keep, and co-ordinate time. The word clock is derived ultimately from the Celtic words clagan and clocca meaning "bell". A silent instrument missing such a mechanism has traditionally been known as a timepiece...
s there in the late 18th century, before they moved the business to Roxbury
Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was one of the first towns founded in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, and became a city in 1846 until annexed to Boston on January 5, 1868...
, where they became pillars of the emerging American clockmaking industry. The house was built about 1718. It stands in a rural setting, in the middle of a field that was part of the Willard farm back in the 18th century.
Like other contemporaneous horologists
Horology
Horology is the art or science of measuring time. Clocks, watches, clockwork, sundials, clepsydras, timers, time recorders and marine chronometers are all examples of instruments used to measure time.People interested in horology are called horologists...
, the Willard family originally divided its life seasonally, between farming and the clock workshop. Eventually the business became profitable, at which point the house was further enlarged. While in Grafton, Simon, the most innovative and most famous of the Willard brothers, developed his first so called banjo clock
Banjo clock
The banjo clock, or banjo timepiece, is an American wall clock with a banjo-shaped case. It was invented by Simon Willard, originally of Grafton, Massachusetts, later of Roxbury, Massachusetts, and patented in 1802...
, more properly called the "Willard Patent Timepiece", which was patented in 1802.
Museum Founding and History
The museum was founded by Dr. & Mrs. Robinson, collectors of Willard clocks, after they were able to acquire the Willard homestead. For a while in the late 1990s the Museum was administered by the National Association of Watch and Clock CollectorsNational Association of Watch and Clock Collectors
The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors is an American non-profit organization with about 18,000 members.The NAWCC was founded in 1943 by members of the Horological Society of New York and the Philadelphia Watchmakers' Guild who wished to create a national organization...
, but soon was turned into an independent foundation again, governed by a board made up of representatives of the Willard family, the founding couple, the local community and some horological experts.
The original homestead farmhouse have been added to in recent years and in addition to the original rooms there are now two large galleries. The museum has over 80 Willard clocks, representing the craftsmanship of all the members of the family in the horological trade. While there are several clocks signed Grafton, the exhibits include also clocks made later after the Willard clock enterprise had moved on to Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was one of the first towns founded in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, and became a city in 1846 until annexed to Boston on January 5, 1868...
, now part of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
Besides hosting the world's most comprehensive collection of Willard timepieces there are many Willard family memorabilia on display. The original house is furnished with period furniture, and in the reconstructed workshop building there is a small collection of historic horological tools in a display showing what Simon Willard's original workshop may have looked like. The majority of clocks are shown in running condition.
There is a small gift shop, and the museum has a small Willard-centric library open to museum members by appointment.
Hours of Operation
The Museum offers guided tours of the house and galleries. Groups of 8 and more need an appointment.Guided tours are available from Wednesday to Saturday 10:00 to 4:00 and Sunday 1:00 to 4:00. Winter hours, which go into effect in January, February and March, are Friday and Saturday 10:00 to 4:00 and Sunday 1:00 to 4:00. The tours last approximately 45 minutes to an hour, and are given by trained staff and docents. The last tour of the day starts at 3:00pm.