In 2018, Merchants National Bank purchased the building located at 101 W. Main St. at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 and U.S. Route 62 in Hillsboro. Included in the purchase was a building-mounted clock that time had not been so kind to and needed attention.
Paul Pence, Jr. of Merchants National Bank knew he wanted to bring new life to the clock, not only for time’s sake, but for historical and community value. That’s when MNB turned to The Verdin Company of Cincinnati to evaluate the clock, it’s condition and what could be done to restore it for use.
There is some history to the clock’s origin.
The O.B. McClintock Clock Company was in business in Minneapolis, Minnesota from about 1917 until 1949. It primarily made large clocks that mounted on a post or brackets which would mount on the side of a building. The clocks were very decorative with McClintock using very high-quality building material like stained glass for the dials and logo panels and copper cladding for the body of the clock.
McClintock was the only early American clock maker to use stained glass for its dials and decorative panels. It’s one of the points that makes this clock so beautiful. McClintock made several different styles of clocks including two-faced and four-faced, both that could mount on a post and from a bracket on a building. All of these clocks were manufactured in a similar method, using steel inside the head as the structural frame support and then covering that steel with decorative copper cladding that creates the beautiful look of the McClintock clock.
Recommendations were provided by The Verdin Company to ensure the clock continues its landmark legacy, both structurally and aesthetically. The renovations included new LED lighting and wiring, replacement of the dial faces, stained glass and polycarbonate protective lens over the dials and stained glass, and new modern time pieces and clock a controller. Structural integrity was verified during the interior clock maintenance portion of the project. These repairs will assure the clocks service for many years to come.
“This historic clock in Hillsboro is a beautiful landmark clock that is one of the few very nice examples of early clock making in America,” Jason Brookbank, Merchants Bank IT supervisor, said in a news release. “It also serves as an important part of the local history of the city. McClintock Clocks are few and far between in today’s society. Merchants National Bank’s effort to preserve a piece of local history is a gift to the community from a time gone by.”
Information for this story was provided by Jason Brookbank, MNB IT supervisor who was the lead on the clock restoration project.
