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Benton County Courthouse clock restored to original condition after decades of alterations, repairs
Historical restoration returned in time for 119th birthday
Jun. 20, 2025 5:00 am, Updated: Jun. 20, 2025 8:58 am
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VINTON — Inside the clock tower of the Benton County Courthouse is a framed set of maintenance instructions that were rendered obsolete for decades.
For nearly 50 years, it was a reference point on how to regulate timing, how to oil the pallets that slide on the teeth of the escape wheel and how to wind the clock.
Since 1952, the framed document, accessible to only a few by an uncaged ladder, was a piece of history. Now, it’s finding renewed purpose.
After multiple repairs and restorations, the clock has been re-geared to keep time the way it started 119 years ago. The Vinton centerpiece, first installed in 1906, is once again passing the time without electricity, electronics or wiring that came to strip much of the clock’s authenticity over its life.
On June 19, its birthday gift was a clean bill of health after more than a century of alterations and repairs.
“Now, they have a historically accurate clock,” said Rory Demesy, clock restoration specialist and owner of Mechanical Watch Supply in Minneapolis. “If they do their due diligence, that clock will be running for another hundred years.”
Starting the clock
The “Number 1 Striker” made by E. Howard & Co., commonly called a “round top” by collectors, was a fairly common model for courthouses in the early 20th century.
The company made about 90 percent of tower clocks in America, and about one-third of the manufacturer’s 4,000 pieces were this model.
Measuring 70 inches tall and 48 inches long, its size was the main advantage over other models — a small footprint that would fit in tighter towers. This model, made to order with custom specifications and variations, was manufactured from 1880 to 1965.
But despite its compact size and prevalence, its arrival to Benton County was a big deal in 1906. Donated by Paul Correll, a successful entrepreneur and one of Vinton’s wealthiest residents, the gift signified efforts toward modernizing a proper place for county business.
“The entire outfit will be of a most modern make,” the Vinton Eagle reported in 1906. “It will be a munificent gift and will be a permanent memorial to one of our honored citizens.”
Its original cost — $2,000 — would be worth over $70,000 today, adjusting for inflation.
Its accompanying 1,500-pound, B-flat bell, called a “monster” upon its arrival, would be heard “many miles away,” the newspaper reported.
“Up until the 1930s, it was a necessity to have a time piece central for the town to run on,” Demesy said. “It was a time piece for the city when it was installed. Everybody set their watch by the courthouse clock.”
But even in the digital age, the aging mechanical wonders are a point of pride for municipalities across the country.
“Everybody carries a cell phone, everybody’s got a watch on their wrists. But if that clock isn’t saying the right time, that courthouse gets flooded with calls,” he said. “These are public clocks. They’re proud of (them.)”
Benton County Supervisor Tracy Seeman, who has been on the Board of Supervisors since 2019, said the public is excited to hear the time — not just see it.
“The biggest thing is, on the hour, the bell bangs once,” he said. “I believe the locals in Vinton really missed that.”
Taking the job
By the time Demesy was contracted by Benton County to restore the courthouse’s most prominent feature, it had been through decades of modifications attempting to modernize or repair the clock.
“I don’t know if any of it could have functioned. It may have limped,” he said of the clock’s state when he assumed possession. “I’ve never seen workmanship like that before. I was kind of surprised how far off you could be and it would still work.”
He credits the clocks endurance through ill-fitted modifications and repairs to its design.
Restoring projects of this magnitude to their original, historically accurate state requires an broad assortment of expertise — materials, paints, finishes, engineering, gears and more — that is growing increasingly rare. While thousands are interested in these types of clocks, Demesy estimates the number of people capable of doing extensive repairs and restorations at about half a dozen in the United States.
His niche expertise lies somewhere between restoration and conservation. With over 30 years of experience, his one-man Minneapolis operation maintains one of the largest collections of original and replica restoration clock parts in the world.
Restoration was first attempted by another company in 2014, when the county needed to fix the clock again. Upon realizing the clock’s more extensive needs, the job was later transferred to Mechanical Watch Supply in 2022.
The latest restoration project, $58,500, was funded by the American Rescue Plan Act.
“It was over 100 years old when it first pooped out,” said Seeman. “All three of us supervisors decided to bring it back to the way it was.”
Past problems
All of the courthouse’s office and courtroom clocks were wired in sync with the tower clock until 1952, when electric motors were installed to keep the big clock wound without manual labor.
This was common from the 1940s through the 1960s, Demesy said. It stripped many of the clock’s mechanical parts for electric ones, causing significant damage over time.
Subsequent issues in clock accuracy were blamed on “irregular city power,” according to historical accounts reported by Vinton Today. All courthouse clocks had to be changed to electric ones, independent of the clock tower.
In 1959, the clock struck at midnight and continued to ring indefinitely until someone stopped it in the middle of the night.
By 2009, the clock had stopped working altogether.
The big problem with electrification is that motors have more torque than a clock can handle, causing it to “run dirty” as they drive gears in a “big grinding machine” that runs without regular oversight, Demesy explained.
A previous restoration attempt completed in 2015 had more issues by September 2021, when the clock couldn’t keep the correct time. That restoration, plus other repairs accumulated over a century, implemented changes that required difficult reversals, Demesy said.
“It’s one of the most difficult restorations. You’re taking a model that’s been electrified and a lot of the parts are gone,” he said. “You have to know not only which parts are gone, but you have to see the gear or shaft and know if it goes to that model or not.”
Over the years, he has been making replica parts in batches for other restorers.
Resetting the clock
After taking stock of the dozens of missing parts, the clock has been restored with 98 percent of its original pieces, including the difficult-to-find pendulum.
“Now they’ve got a historically correct clock. They’ve got something to be proud of again,” Demesy said. “It’s a great clock with a great history. It deserved a great restoration.”
A clock with history like Benton County’s is rare, he said. The specialist, who is winding down toward retirement, has spent hundreds of hours restoring the clock by hand as a passion project.
On June 8, he transported the clock back to Iowa. The following day, it was on rare open display for the public to see up close.
Then, the clock was completely disassembled and transported, piece by piece, through a trap door to the top floor of the tower, where it was reassembled.
Unlike other companies, this horologist’s philosophy entails teaching owners how to keep their clocks maintained. Maintenance staff at the courthouse have seen how the clock is put together and were taught everything they might need to know to keep it running properly.
He will remain at their disposal for questions, but the maintenance of the clock will not rely on a long-term contract some companies use to generate ongoing revenue.
“My philosophy is that this clock’s going to be here after I’m gone,” he said.
Leaving a mark
The clock’s restoration, down to its gold gears and lacquered emerald green paint, took a purist’s approach to the restoration.
Alongside the clock’s framed maintenance instructions, graffiti of various types document the tower’s limited visitors over the last century on wood-framed walls. Spray painted initials mark company as early as 1969; other signatures penciled and marked in smaller font date as late at 2015.
At the center of it all, the 1906 plate dedicating the clock to its donor, Paul Correll, was screwed back into the clock — a finishing touch.
As he finished the clock’s installation on June 11, Demesy said his name would not be added to the walls of what seemed to be a tradition in the tower.
“My signature is my workmanship,” he said. “Anyone who comes in here is going to know who did this work.”
Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.
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