A photo from the 1880s shows the Ansonia Street Clock on the southeast corner of Fifth and Maine in Quincy — next to Heinze & Rosenthal Jewelry Story. The clock was later relocated to 118 N. Fifth. Submitted Photo Courtesy of the Quincy Public Library
By EDWARD HUSAR | Herald-Whig, Quincy, MA, Staff Writer
“A rare and ornate clock that graced the streets of Quincy from the 1880s to the 1920s is about to be restored and become a prized exhibit at the National Watch & Clock Museum in Columbia, Pa.
“The 19-foot-high clock, nicknamed ‘Cantankerous Quincy’ by one of its subsequent owners, is the focus of a research project by the museum, which took possession of the historic timepiece in January.
“Museum officials have been contacting the four communities where the clock was previously displayed in hopes of finding out more about its history.
“‘This clock has a connection to communities all across the country. That’s what’s so neat about it to us,’ said Noel Poirier, the museum’s director.
“‘These were the kind of clocks that people would have their picture taken in front of. They were that prominent,’ he said. ‘So we’re really hoping that, by reaching out to each community that the clock was in, folks will turn up images of the clock that will be really helpful to us as we look at what restoration work we need to do.’
“The clock’s 5,000-mile journey around the country started in Quincy in 1884 when the owners of the old Heinze and Rosenthal Jewelry Store at 500 Maine bought the clock from the Ansonia Clock Company of Brooklyn, N.Y.”
Columbia news, views & reviews 