Willard House and Clock Museum

Willard House and Clock Museum Step back in time and see where clockmaking began in Central Massachusetts. The Willard Clock Museum https://linktr.ee/Wh.cm

08/25/2026

Learning the Art of the Atmos

In April, Gow Scholarship recipient Adrian Kison spent a week in Phoenix learning from Certified Master Clockmaker Jerry Faier, focusing on the unique challenges of servicing Atmos clocks.

Jerry walked Adrian through the history, intake, disassembly, and reassembly of an Atmos, emphasizing the extraordinary care required when working with its tiny, finely finished components. Adrian also learned to make specialized tools for the job—from bushing-removal stakes to suspension-spring guides and balance drivers.

The experience reinforced an important lesson: when the right tool isn’t available, a skilled clockmaker can often make one.

Adrian later installed the repaired bellows himself and returned the Atmos to his customer in working order. He describes learning from Jerry as a true privilege—and an experience that may help bring Atmos repair training to future clockmakers through AWCI.

The David G. Gow Memorial Scholarship is proud to support Adrian as he learns from the masters and helps carry the craft forward.

Read about Adrian: https://willardhouse.org/scholarship-recipients

School starts this week for many area schools. Wishing all the students returning a good year. Maybe we will see a few o...
08/24/2026

School starts this week for many area schools. Wishing all the students returning a good year. Maybe we will see a few of you 3rd graders come May/June!

Learning from a Master ClockmakerIn early February, Gow Scholarship recipient Adrian Kison spent a week learning directl...
08/18/2026

Learning from a Master Clockmaker

In early February, Gow Scholarship recipient Adrian Kison spent a week learning directly from master clockmaker Andrew Baron in his busy workshop.

Adrian worked hands-on with everything from anniversary clocks and rebushed movements to a verge-and-crown-wheel escapement, a fusee barrel and cone, and a Herschede movement with a challenging chiming issue. Andrew also introduced him to the Rolimat pivot-polishing machine—a valuable lesson in improving efficiency without sacrificing quality.

Each evening, they shared dinner and reviewed the day’s work.

For Adrian, the week was about more than learning techniques. It was an opportunity to experience firsthand the problem-solving, patience, and craftsmanship that define professional clockmaking.

The David G. Gow Memorial Scholarship is proud to support clockmakers like Adrian as they learn from the masters and carry the craft forward.

Read about Adrian: https://willardhouse.org/scholarship-recipients

It is and I suppose we should provide some clock jokes to the populace.I can’t believe they fired me from the clock fa...
08/16/2026

It is and I suppose we should provide some clock jokes to the populace.

I can’t believe they fired me from the clock factory.
After all those extra hours I put in.

Have you ever tried eating a clock?
It’s really time-consuming, especially if you go for seconds.

They’re finally making a movie called “Clocks”.
It’s about time.

and finally...

Hickory dickory dock, three mice ran up the clock, the clock struck one…
And the other two escaped with minor injuries.

On it is worth mentioning that shoemaking was a common occupation in Grafton when our would be clockmakers were growin...
08/15/2026

On it is worth mentioning that shoemaking was a common occupation in Grafton when our would be clockmakers were growing up. Their father was a shoemaker, "cordwainer" to be specific, and both Benjamin who became a clockmaker and their brother John were shoemakers("lastmakers") at some point.

"Antique shoe lasts" by quinet is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

When we give tours of Willard House, we art focusing on eight individuals mostly. There are a few dozen siblings of vari...
08/13/2026

When we give tours of Willard House, we art focusing on eight individuals mostly. There are a few dozen siblings of various generations that are left out because they did not make clocks. Aaron Willard had four other sons besides Aaron Junior who made clocks. The only other son who is mentioned is Henry, and that's because he made clock cases.
We decided to research the son we know the least about: Morris, Aaron's youngest. Records are spotty, but turns out he moved to New Orleans, LA with his brother Charles, sisters Mary and Emily, and their husbands. He seems to have married a woman he met there and had at least two children who died young. He lived to be no more than fifty. There will be more information if we find it.

"To General Andrew Jackson and his brave companions in arms on the 8th of Jany." by Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the BPL is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

08/10/2026

Celebrating the Work of Gow Scholarship Recipient Adrian Kison

From mechanical engineering to the intricate craft of clockmaking, Adrian Kison has built a career where technical precision meets a deep respect for horological history. A 2017 graduate of New Mexico State University, Adrian opened his own clockmaking shop in 2018 and has continued to develop his skills and expertise in this highly specialized field.

The David G. Gow Memorial Scholarship for Horology supports the next generation of professional clockmakers and conservators like Adrian.

Learn more about Adrian: https://willardhouse.org/scholarship-recipients

On , I feel I must emphasize how important beer was to the colonists. In Europe people noticed that those who drank be...
08/07/2026

On , I feel I must emphasize how important beer was to the colonists. In Europe people noticed that those who drank beer were sick less often than those who drank the local water. Therefore when the colonists set out, they brought equipment to produce beer in their homes; though it seems there was an oversight when settling Jamestown, VA.
,,,were
Unfortunately the equipment does little good until people are settled on land. When the men from the Mayflower were arguing about the perfect place to settle down, dwindling beer stores was a reason to make a decision.

"...to go presently ashore again, and to take a better view of two places, which we thought most fitting for us, for we could not now take time for further search or consideration, our victuals being much spent, especially our beer, and it being now the 19th of December." ---Mourt's Relation (pg. 40)

Some horological work truly stands the test of time.In 1992, Philip Zea and Robert C. Cheney, now Executive Director and...
08/06/2026

Some horological work truly stands the test of time.

In 1992, Philip Zea and Robert C. Cheney, now Executive Director and Curator of the Willard House & Clock Museum, co-authored Clock Making in New England, 1725–1825: An Interpretation of the Old Sturbridge Village Collection.

More than three decades later, this landmark publication remains an essential resource for students and enthusiasts of American clockmaking. It explores the craftsmanship, innovation, and artistry of New England's master clockmakers while offering enduring insight into the importance of timekeeping in early America.

At the Willard House & Clock Museum, we're proud to continue that legacy by preserving these extraordinary objects, advancing horological scholarship, and inspiring new generations through the history of time.

Great scholarship, like a great clock, only becomes more valuable with time.

Order your copy: https://ow.ly/mgLR50ZuKE6

08/05/2026

arrives again!

Most tall/8-day clocks simply strike the hour or the quarters; there are some that play songs. These were uncommon in the 18th century, costly and therefore reserved for the wealthy. This is our Simon Willard musical clock (c.1792). There is a weight for time, strike, and chime/music.

Address

11 Willard Street
Grafton, MA
01536

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10:30am - 11:30am
2pm - 3pm
Wednesday 10:30am - 11:30am
2pm - 3pm
Thursday 10:30am - 11:30am
2pm - 3pm
Friday 10:30am - 11:30am
2pm - 3pm
Saturday 10:30am - 11:30am
2pm - 3pm

Telephone

+15088393500

Website

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