New life returned to the old Perry town clock Friday morning as it was rehung on the corner of the First National Bank building in downtown Perry. The moving spirits of the restoration project — Joelle Conklin Miner, Kathy Glass Lenz and Alan Lenz — were at hand to watch the clock.
The 112-year-old, half-ton timekeeper was removed last December to the DMACC Perry VanKirk Career Academy for repairs, which were done over the winter by Jerry Gull from Watch and Clock Junction in Johnston.
Last November’s $6,700 git from the 100+ People for Perry charity group kickstarted the $30,000 project, which was furthered by grants from the Dallas County Foundation, Bock Family Foundation, the Eldred J. and Donna W. Harman Fund and numerous other corporate, civic and private donations.
The vintage 1913 clock was moved to Perry in 1919 and hung until the 1920s at the northeast corner of Willis Avenue and Second Street, adorning the Peoples State Bank business in the two-story Carter Building, which was destroyed by fire in 1945. The clock was moved in 1935 to the northwest corner of the same intersection, where it served people passing the First National Bank building.
The clock was relocated to Forest Park Museum in 1967 and remained in storage until 1999, when Perry Eagle Scout Aaron Lenz, with help from Scout Troop 127, led restoration efforts by landing a $1,500 KCCI Project Main Street grant. The clock was rehung in October 1999.
A ribbon cutting is planned for the coming weeks.