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Just s little bit about New Bern, our ‘dirt dwelling’ home. It sure is lovely to live in a little town that survived both the Revolution and the Civil War, mostly intact. Happy 104th Birthday, Baxter Clock! There’s been some ups and downs in the life of the Baxter Clock. Today, on the birthday of this streetside icon, we’re turning back the hands of time for our weekly “What’s in the Attic with Jim?” In 1920, Dr. J.O. Baxter purchased this four-dial post clock from the Seth Thomas Clock Company in Thomaston, Connecticut for the front of his jewelry store on Pollock Street. The face of this clock is inscribed with the text "Seth Thomas, No. 2139, July 24, 1920.” The clock was added to the National Register of Historic Places in July of 1973. Sadly, disaster struck on May 5, 1977, when a furniture truck backed into the clock and bent the column. The Baxter family hired a salvage company to lift the clock so that the column could be straightened, but as the crane lifted the clock, it dropped and shattered into many pieces when it hit the sidewalk. The Baxter family kept many of the parts and made attempts to repair or replace the clock, but to no avail. Just the lonely base of the clock remained on the sidewalk for 14 years! Thanks to the efforts of Swiss Bear, many dedicated citizens, and the City of New Bern, the necessary funds were raised ($28,000) to restore it. With the skilled craftsmanship of the Verdin Company in Cincinnati, OH, the Baxter Clock was ticking once again, and a dedication ceremony was held on April 20, 1991. Cheers to the Baxter Clock and the incredible efforts to restore and preserve! Like clockwork, we’ll see you here with Jim next week, “from the Attic!” The Verdin Company Baxter's 1892 Greater Downtown New Bern #visitnewbern #newbernnc Our State Magazine Susan Moffat-Thomas [Photo from September, 1990 Sun Journal and Historical Society Swiss Bear Collection]