Willard House and Clock Museum

A close up of the 1833 Simon Willard tower clock in our clock shop building.

#clock #TowerClock #gears #TickTock

#DaylightSavingTime is back again!

It’s time again to set your clocks ahead one hour on Sunday morning. Here is a little history about Daylight Saving Time (http://ow.ly/8gOe50DVxY3), and how to appropriately set your clock/timepiece for the occasion (http://ow.ly/Xrx150C7H5L).

#clocks #horology

Spring has been teasing its return! There have been birds singing the last two weeks.

"Red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)" by Franco Folini is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
"European starling in CP (33849)" by Rhododendrites is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

The book this month is "Musical Clocks of Early America, 1730-1830" by Gary R. Sullivan and Kate Van Winkle Keller.
The 130 remarkable clocks represent a high point in the careers of American craftsmen between 1730 and 1830. Over 500 color images bring the clocks to life.

#MarchingMusicDay seemed like a fun opportunity to highlight a song on our Simon Willard musical clock: British Grenadiers!

Check out this fife and drum version with lyrics posted by Danny Stevenson: https://youtu.be/PGrxHO-B2TY

The Willard House & Clock Museum is pleased to announce Patrick J. Mont as its inaugural Curatorial Fellow. WHCM is launching a new program dedicated to building the next generation of horological museum professionals.

Plan a visit: https://willardhouse.org/contact

#curator #clocks

#PistolPatentDay

Did you know that there were a number of gunsmiths in the Grafton area? In Grafton we had the would be famous Wessons (of Smith & Wesson) as well as Ethan Allan (gunsmith, not Vermont founder).

"Boot pistol" made by Allen in the 1830s.

#antiqueguns #collector #worcesterma

"Fakes, Forgeries & Marriages: The Pitfalls of Collecting Willard’s Patent Timepiece"

Feb. 26th , 6:30 to 7:45 PM | Grafton Public Library Community Room

Reservation: https://ow.ly/XvJf50YhH79

#curator #worcesterma #massachusetts #museumfun

Fake book image generated by ChatGPT, 2026.

Friday #FunFact

Grandson John Ware Willard included anecdotes in his book about his famous ancestors.

The story: http://ow.ly/2lAF50DD1Gv

#DidYouKnow #Boston1775 #orrery #museum #horology #harvard

"Grand orrery in Putnam Gallery, 2009-11-24" by Sage Ross is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Join us Saturday, March 14th for the 26th Annual Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce Home & Community Expo

Northbridge High School | 427 Linwood Ave, Whitinsville, MA
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Free admission with a non-perishable food item.

#blackstonevalley #graftonma #massachusetts

Happy #DrinkWineDay ! This decanter once belonged to Simon Willard Jr.; I can only imagine what it contained when it was in use.

#MuseumsUnlocked #museum #Waterford #wine #glassware

Today is #MardiGras and #ShroveTuesday !
Aaron Willard had three children, two sons-in-law, and grandchildren in New Orleans 1820s onward. Mardi Gras was already quite the celebration in New Orleans by then and there were parades with maskers, carriages, horses, and torches.

When #ValentineDay falls on a weekend, that means it should be the WHOLE weekend, right?

#ValentinesDay #ceramic #love #OilPainting #DailyArt #DailyPainting #poetry #MuseumsUnlocked

Happy 258th birthday to the famous clockmaker, and Simon Willard apprentice, Elnathan Taber!

#clockmaker #horology #MuseumsUnlocked #americanhistory

February break got you bored? Let’s make it timelessly fun!

Discover horology in a fun, hands-on way. Enjoy a docent-led tour that brings it all to life.

Tours Thursday - Saturday. 10:30 and 2:00: https://willardhouse.org/contact

#GraftonMa #Graftonschools

Source: Wikimedia

February 26th , 6:30 to 7:45 PM |Grafton Public Library

"Fakes, Forgeries and Marriages: The Pitfalls of Collecting Willard’s Patent Timepiece"

Robert C. Cheney opens the faker’s handbook.

Reserve here: https://ow.ly/M8rQ50YahYQ

#curation #massachusettshistory #horology

Willard House will be closed today due to the weather. Stay safe and warm everyone!

An educational model of a recoil escapement made by Richard Ketchen of Carlisle, Massachusetts. We have this on display in the museum's Clock Shop.

#clock #MusumsUnlocked #model #TickTock #Timekeeping #ClockMaking

#WindingDay

For anyone who has visited us, this is the older sibling (by two years) of our Simon Willard tower clock in the clock shop! Unlike ours, it is still in the building it was made for, the Old State House in Boston, MA.

Bostonian Society video: http://ow.ly/RvDV50DcMkO

John Ritto Penniman's Signature on reverse of portrait

It is John Penniman's birthday!
I mentioned Penniman earlier this week. He had an interesting life which intersects with those of the Willards when he began painting clock dials. He may have rented space in Aaron Willard's manufactory/stable as well.

#MuseumsUnlocked #AmericanArt #MuseumCollection

Gow Scholarship advancing horology.

I took an Escapement course at AWCI. I visited Switzerland and Germany to tour clockmaking facilities with subject matter experts and discovered where to purchase quality tools.

Read about Jennifer: https://ow.ly/1sPq50XRb6J

#clocks #ClockRestoration

Aaron Willard (1757-1844) copy of portrait by John Ritto Penniman, 1804

Aaron, like his brother Simon, gained notoriety in the Roxbury/Boston area.

#history #LocalHistory #OilPainting #DailyArt #portrait #ArtHistory #roxburyma #boston

"Why won't you go faster?"

We know this is not what they meant when they created #PunchTheClockDay , but we couldn't resist.

#clock #museum #MuseumsUnlocked #MuseumFun

It is #MiniatureMonday !

Simon Willard Junior (1795-1874) painted by G. Harvey 1828-1830. Interestingly, this portrait has a little compartment on the back that contains a lock of hair; we are not sure whose it is.

#OilPainting #FineArt #DailyPainting #museum #MuseumsUnlocked

On #NationalHandwritingDay we wanted to feature two original documents within our museum.

#SimonWillard #JosiahQuincy #receipt #letter

The David G. Gow Scholarship Recipient Update - Adrian Kison

"I put the funds toward restoring a Die Filer. The scholarship covered the cost to outfit the machine with a working motor."

Read about Adrian: https://ow.ly/1sPq50XRb6J

#clocks #ClockRestoration #milwaukeetools

This is a tower clock from the tower of the Second Church of Marshfield, Massachusetts. It was made by Aaron Willard Jr. in 1838/9 and was recouped and reassembled in the 1970s after the building burnt down.

#clocks #museum #MuseumsUnlocked #TowerClock #ClockRestoration #WindingWednesday #church

Last week, we mentioned New Englanders falling out of love with #tea and into love with #coffee . Today we celebrate it with #NationalCoffeeBreakDay . Sit back and join us in a warm cup of liquid energy.

#NewEngland #FoodHistory #coffeelover #blackstonevalley #lostshoebrews

Time tests every idea.
Freedom survives only when protected.
The Constitution is our promise to do both.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” -- Martin Luther King Jr.

#MartinLutherKingJr #light #love