DAYHOFF: Clock docs make house call to fix historic Westminster Main Street
DAYHOFF: Clock docs make house call to fix historic Westminster... Explore Carroll By Kevin Dayhoff
DAYHOFF: Clock docs make house call to fix historic Westminster clock tower on Main Street
Eagle Archives
By Kevin Dayhoff
Posted 8/08/10
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(Enlarge) Wayne Reifsnider, assistant superintendent for the City of Westminster Street Department, works to replace the hands of the 1896 Westminster town clock in the early morning hours of Aug. 3. Reifsnider was assisting a crew from Precision Repair, a timepiece restoration company, which performed a bit of delicate surgery four stories above Westminster's Main Street as part of an overall restoration project for the historic clock. (Photo by Kevin E. Dayhoff)
(Enlarge) Wayne Reifsnider, assistant superintendent for the City of Westminster Street Department, works to replace the hands of the 1896 Westminster town clock in the early morning hours of Aug. 3. Reifsnider was assisting a crew from Precision Repair, a timepiece restoration company, which performed a bit of delicate surgery four stories above Westminster's Main Street as part of an overall restoration project for the historic clock. (Photo by Kevin E. Dayhoff)
In the early morning hours of Aug. 3, the old clock atop the old Westminster fire hall -- which served Westminster from 1896 to 1998 at 66 E. Main St. -- got a brand new shiny pair of hands. The venerable timepiece has been a fixture in town since it was dedicated at 3:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, 1896.
City of Westminster workers used a crane from Thomas Bennett and Hunter, a local road-building firm; and Dave Booth of Precision Repair, a timepiece restoration firm, to accomplish the delicate surgery performed four stories in the air.
Clock doctor Booth was assisted by Wayne Reifsnider, assistant city Street Department superintendent. Meanwhile, Superintendent Larry Bloom, along with Jeff Glass, the city public works director; and city workers Shawn Lockard and Alan Miller, served as ground support.
Keeping the old timepiece working has been challenging for the city workers in the last number of years.
Miller said it was good to get it worked on, as he looked briefly up at the old clock. Lockard added, “I’m glad that we’re finally getting it fixed.”
Booth and Reifsnider subsequently jumped into the steel cage and away they were whisked into the air four stories to replace the clock hands on the old historic clock that has been a fixture in the center of town since it was dedicated at 3:30 in the afternoon on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1896...
Wayne Reifsnider, assistant superintendent for the City of Westminster Street Department, works to replace the hands of the 1896...
A YouTube of the event may be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvICD3mOouw
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Left to Right: Wayne Reifsnider, David Booth, and Alan Miller examine the new powder coated aluminum clock hands that were later installed on the face the historic Westminster
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City workers used a Thomas Bennett and Hunter crane to replace the clock hands on the face of the 1896 timepiece that overlooks Westminster
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Left to Right: Wayne Reifsnider, Shawn Lockard and Alan Miller prepare a steel cage that was used to hoist workers up four stories to do repairs on the old town clock Tuesday morning. 20100803 clocktowerhands (9)
City workers had to use a big Thomas Bennett and Hunter crane to perform repairs on the clock tower Tuesday morning.
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Wayne Reifsnider works away at replacing the clock hands of the 1896 Westminster
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DAYHOFF: Clock docs make house call to fix historic Westminster Main Street
August 8, 2010
There are three versions of my story on the Westminster
One was published only on the website at: http://www.explorecarroll.com/opinion/4596/clock-docs-make-timely-house-call-citys-historic-timepiece/
There was a short version published in my Sunday history column, “Archives,” that appears in the Baltimore
Then, there is a much longer version of the piece that was submitted, but edited a good bit for length. I will eventually put that on my website…
A YouTube of the event may be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvICD3mOouw
Keeping the old timepiece working has been challenging for the city workers in the last number of years.
The project was part of an ongoing restoration of the clock, which at 114 years of age has indeed suffered the ravages of time. To make matters worse, several years ago a few youngsters broke into the clock tower and vandalized the historic icon of the community.
Although Booth is donating his time, other expenses incurred in the clock repair are being covered by private donations collected by a fund spearheaded by Westminster
For more information, please see my Explore Carroll article on the clock tower repairs here: http://tinyurl.com/2bnrsrg or here: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/2010/08/dayhoff-clock-docs-make-house-call-to_10.html
If you would like to contribute, send a donation to the Westminster Clock Tower Fund at the Community Foundation of Carroll County, 255 Clifton Boulevard , Westminster , Md. 21158
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Westminster Maryland Online http://www.westminstermarylandonline.net/ http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/
Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/
Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ (http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/) http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/ New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/
