The National Watch and Clock Museum Is Gifted The William Barclay Stephens Collection and The Harris Fishbon Collection
COLUMBIA, PA: The National Watch & Clock Museum has for nearly 15 years been exhibiting many timepieces on loan from the California Academy of Sciences. The loan from two separate collections - The William Barclay Stephens Collection and The Harris Fishbon Collection - includes pocket watches by Abraham Louis Breguet, Thomas Tompion and Daniel Quare; clocks produced by Chauncy Jerome, Birge and Fuller, and Joseph Ives, to name a few. Early European timepieces in the collections filled a void in the Museum’s collection.
The accreditation process for the American Alliance of Museums required that Museum staff examine its current loans to determine if any could be converted to gifts. In 2007 the Museum began discussions with the California Academy of Sciences about converting the loan and initial responses from the Academy were positive and conversion continued.
The National Watch & Clock Museum was informed in January 2013, after almost six years of work, that the California Academy of Sciences had decided to transfer both collections to the National Watch & Clock Museum. The more than 550 timepieces in these two collections significantly improve the quality of the Museum’s collection, fill gaps in the Museum’s long-range collection needs, and strengthen the National Watch & Clock Museum’s position as the nation’s premier repository for horological material.
The National Watch & Clock Museum thanks the staff, Board of Directors and NAWCC members who nearly 15 years ago arranged for the loan of these objects. The current Museum staff is grateful to see the fruition of this cooperation. The National Watch & Clock Museum and the NAWCC also thank Russell Hartman and the Board Trustees of the California Academy of Sciences for their generosity and patience in agreeing to transfer these important collections to the National Watch & Clock Museum.
The National Watch & Clock Museum is operated by the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) association with 16,000 members, representing 52 countries. April through November the Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. December through March hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. From Memorial Day through Labor Day the Museum is also open on Mondays. Discounts are available to seniors, students, AAA members, and groups of 10 or more. Groups of 10 or more are encouraged to call ahead. For more program information, directions, or general Museum information, call 717-684-8261 or visit our website at www.museumoftime.org.
COLUMBIA, PA: The National Watch & Clock Museum has for nearly 15 years been exhibiting many timepieces on loan from the California Academy of Sciences. The loan from two separate collections - The William Barclay Stephens Collection and The Harris Fishbon Collection - includes pocket watches by Abraham Louis Breguet, Thomas Tompion and Daniel Quare; clocks produced by Chauncy Jerome, Birge and Fuller, and Joseph Ives, to name a few. Early European timepieces in the collections filled a void in the Museum’s collection.
The accreditation process for the American Alliance of Museums required that Museum staff examine its current loans to determine if any could be converted to gifts. In 2007 the Museum began discussions with the California Academy of Sciences about converting the loan and initial responses from the Academy were positive and conversion continued.
The National Watch & Clock Museum was informed in January 2013, after almost six years of work, that the California Academy of Sciences had decided to transfer both collections to the National Watch & Clock Museum. The more than 550 timepieces in these two collections significantly improve the quality of the Museum’s collection, fill gaps in the Museum’s long-range collection needs, and strengthen the National Watch & Clock Museum’s position as the nation’s premier repository for horological material.
The National Watch & Clock Museum thanks the staff, Board of Directors and NAWCC members who nearly 15 years ago arranged for the loan of these objects. The current Museum staff is grateful to see the fruition of this cooperation. The National Watch & Clock Museum and the NAWCC also thank Russell Hartman and the Board Trustees of the California Academy of Sciences for their generosity and patience in agreeing to transfer these important collections to the National Watch & Clock Museum.
The National Watch & Clock Museum is operated by the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) association with 16,000 members, representing 52 countries. April through November the Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. December through March hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. From Memorial Day through Labor Day the Museum is also open on Mondays. Discounts are available to seniors, students, AAA members, and groups of 10 or more. Groups of 10 or more are encouraged to call ahead. For more program information, directions, or general Museum information, call 717-684-8261 or visit our website at www.museumoftime.org.
