Last updated: 1/18/2011
Columbia, Pennsylvania
Address
514 Poplar Street
Columbia, PA 17512
phone: 717-684-8261
web: www.museumoftime.org

Hours

April - November
Tuesday - Saturday
10 AM - 5 PM
Sunday
12 PM - 4 PM
Memorial Day - Labor Day
Monday
10 AM - 5 PM
December - March
Tuesday - Saturday
10 AM - 4 PM
Sunday - Monday
closed

Admissions

Adults - $8
Seniors - $7
Children - $4
Discounts for families and groups.

Staff

Noel Poirier
phone: 717-684-8261
Description

The Museum collection is international in scope and covers a wide variety of clocks, watches, tools, and other time-related items. The largest collection is of nineteenth-century American clocks and watches. However, additional collections include early English tallcase clocks, Asian timepieces from Japan and China, and timekeeping devices from Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Russia. Chronologically, the exhibits take you on a tour through the entire history of timekeeping technology from early non-mechanical devices to today's atomic and radio- controlled clocks.

History

The National Watch and Clock Museum was officially opened to the public in 1977 with fewer than 1,000 items. Since that time, the collection has increased to over 12,000 items and the museum has undergone several expansion projects. The latest expansion opened in October 1999 and featured an entirely new and redesigned exhibit space, as well as a new two-story addition. Today, the museum is recognized as the largest and most comprehensive horological collection in North America.

Artifact Collections

The Museum collection is international in scope and covers a wide variety of clocks, watches, tools, and other time-related items. The largest collection is of nineteenth-century American clocks and watches. However, additional collections include early English tallcase clocks, Asian timepieces from Japan and China, and timekeeping devices from Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Russia. Chronologically, the exhibits take you on a tour through the entire history of timekeeping technology from early non-mechanical devices to today's atomic and radio- controlled clocks.

Research Collections

The National Watch and Clock Museum Library and Research Center is one of the largest horological libraries in the world. Housed within the Watch and Clock Museum, the collection consists of over 30,000 books, catalogs, and periodicals dealing with all aspects of the study of time and timekeeping. Special collections material includes 21,000 American patents; postcards dealing with horological subjects; postal stamps showing timekeeping devices; ledgers and drawings from the Hamilton Watch Company; the Whitaker Westclox collection; and the personal papers of such noted horologists as Jesse Coleman, Orville Hagans, Barclay Stephens, Robert Franks, James W. Gibbs, Albert Potter, and Charles Alvah Smith.

Library
Access: General Public, Students, Scholars, Members
Appointment required: No
Publications

NAWCC Bulletin
The MART
Services
Gift Shop
Special Event Rental
Restaurant
Group Tours
Exhibitions
Museum Events
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MUSEUM CONFERENCES

Oregon Museum Association 2024 Conference

September 8, 2024 - September 10, 2025

North Bend, Oregon

2025 California Association of Museums Conference

February 18 - 22, 2025

San Fransico, California

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