The Waller County Historical Commission is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of history in Waller County and Texas in general. The Commission provides grants through the Waller County Historical Society to worthy county preservation projects and has spearheaded the 105-year old Courthouse Clock restoration and the erection of a Clock Tower to house it. Along with the County Historical Society and Museum, the Commission serves as a historical information resource for Waller County. Donations to the Society are tax deductible.
On Saturday, November 29th, 1997, the Seth Thomas clockworks which has rested above Waller County Courthouses for the past 103 years was returned to Waller County. The clockworks, first used to drive the clock in the 1894 Courthouse and later the modern Courthouse's bell, was removed last year to be sent to Faribault, Minnesota for museum quality restoration. Lloyd Larish, owner and master tower clock repairman of The House of Clocks, returned the clockworks Saturday.
Originally installed in May of 1894, the clockworks was the only item preserved from that Courthouse. It was converted to electricity in 1947 and transferred when the present Courthouse was built in 1955. When the works were repaired in 1991 it was discovered that so much of the original mechanism has been retained that restoration was possible. The Seth Thomas #16 hour strike tower clock was originally purchased, along with the 1000 pound Courthouse bell, for $900.00. The restoration, paid for entirely through donations from citizens of the County, cost nearly $30,000, according to County Historical Commission Chairman and local attorney Richard Senasac.
"The completeness of our clock, almost unique among clocks of this age, let us even consider this restoration," said Senasac. "We cannot let this opportunity escape us. There are not more than three restored and displayed clocks like this in Texas. This would be something very, very special for our County."
A 45 foot tall tower that will house and display the clockworks has been erected and is located at the southwest corner of the Courthouse. The steel frame work has been installed and the bell has already been hung. The tower's walls will be constructed of red brick to fit in with the Courthouse. The architectural style of the tower is a blending of the modern and the 1894 Courthouses. When finished the tower will harmonize with the current Courthouse but remind viewers of the one in which the clock was originally housed. The clockworks, one of the original dials are to be installed in the tower along with the 1000 pound 1894 bell . There the functioning clockworks will be displayed behind glass for the public to see.
"The tower is being built primarily from donations and private funds," said Chairman Senasac. "While the value of the tower will be in excess of $200,000 when it is presented to the County, because of donations from local businessmen the actual cost will be less than half that."
Notable among these donors are local contractors Silvio Menendez, Otis Styers III, and Steve York. York said that he was donating the support piers for the tower because it would be a source of pride for Hempstead and the entire County. "Everybody comes to the Courthouse," said York, who plans to give the use of equipment and two helpers. Construction of the tower began in October , 1998 and is slated to be completed as soon as funds are available.
When parts for the clockworks unexpectedly became available, Lloyd Larish, the restorationist who had worked on the clock for the past year, was able to include its return in his most recent trip to this area. Larish is best known for his restoration of the more modern Market Square Clock in Houston. Because the clockworks were included at the last minute, provisions could not be made to accept the clock when Larish arrived at 2 PM Saturday. The quarter ton of mechanisms were man-handled into the Courthouse lobby by County Judge Freddie Zach, Richard Senasac, and Ken Harlan, a Commission volunteer. Judge Zach, who has been a tireless supported of the Tower Project, said he was happy to lend this additional "support" to something that will be of such importance to the County.
The clockworks will be on display to the public in the Courthouse lobby until at least the first of the year. Also displayed are two replicas of 1917 after-market Seth Thomas winders, the clock's pendulum and the iron hammer which struck the Courthouse bell for over a century. When the works are installed behind glass in the tower's base, the winders will be mounted on either side to power the clock. The hammer will be mounted 30 feet above the ground to again let the bell toll the hours.
Although the Waller County Historical Commission and Society (the financial arm of the commission) have raised over $40,000 in donations and more than twice that in pledges of labor and materials, Chairman Richard Senasac said that the project has been seriously delayed by lack of funds. "We are constantly looking for additional donations," Senasac said. "We want to show people everywhere that Waller Countians support their County enough to do something like this without relying on tax moneys or outside funds."
You can have your name or the name of one of your loved ones immortalized forever in one of the bricks to be used as part of the tower. At the same time, you will be helping to build the tower. FOR THE ORDER FORM AND INFORMATION
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