The American Clock & Watch Museum (ACWM), located in Bristol, Connecticut

Bristol, Connecticut

Bristol is a suburban city located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States southwest of Hartford. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 61,353. Bristol is primarily known as the home of ESPN, whose central studios are in the city. Bristol is also home to...

, is one of a very few museums in the United States dedicated solely to horology

Horology

Horology is the art or science of measuring time. Clocks, watches, clockwork, sundials, clepsydras, timers, time recorders and marine chronometers are all examples of instruments used to measure time.People interested in horology are called horologists...

, which is the history, science and art of timekeeping and timekeepers. Located in the heart of historic center of American clockmaking ACWM is the worlds preeminent horological museum in the area of American clocks, primarily industrial made clocks of the 19th and early 20th century.

The museum is located in a complex including the historic Miles Lewis residence, the partially relocated historic 1728 Barnes homestead, and a modern extension wing in the town of Bristol, Connecticut

Bristol, Connecticut

Bristol is a suburban city located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States southwest of Hartford. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 61,353. Bristol is primarily known as the home of ESPN, whose central studios are in the city. Bristol is also home to...

, the hometown of the former Ingraham Clock Company. Bristol is located North of Interstate Highway 84, about 30 minutes west of Hartford CT or two hours from New York City.

The ACWM is an independent educational institution, operating under Section 501c3 of the Internal Revenue Code, and besides a small professional staff relies on volunteers for much of its manpower and support. Originally known as The Bristol Clock Museum the institution was started in 1952 and acquired its site the next year.

Exhibits

The exhibits include clocks (and some watches) from all periods and countries, but the focus of the exhibits is clearly on American clocks. A substantial part of the exhibit space is devoted to tell the story of Eli Terry

Eli Terry

Eli Terry Sr. was an inventor and clockmaker in Connecticut. He received a United States patent for a shelf clock mechanism. He introduced mass production to the art of clockmaking, which made clocks affordable for the average American citizen...

 and his successors and imitators. Terry pioneered mass manufacturing techniques in the early 19th century by replacing the traditional system of making one clock at a time with handmade parts adjusted to fit with each other to using a system of machine made interchangeable parts with close enough tolerances that they could be assembled without further adjustment. Connecticut clockmaking, together with American firearm manufacturing, launched the industrial revolution

Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...

.

Library

The ACWM has a significant horological research library, that includes a particularly rich collection of historic catalogs of American clock brands. The library is open for horological researchers only by prior arrangement.

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