The Canadian Clock Museum

The Canadian Clock Museum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the collection, preservation, research, and exhibition of clocks and horological artifacts associated with Canadian history. It is recognized as Canada’s only clock museum and operates as a federal corporation since December 1999 under the business registration number 879016525RR0001. The museum is located in Deep River, Ontario, and opened to the public in late May 2000.

History and Mission

Founded by Allan Symons, a retired research scientist and longtime resident of Deep River, the museum began with an initial collection of over six hundred clocks, watches, and related documents. Symons served as the museum’s first manager and curator. The Canadian Clock Museum's mission centers on showcasing the heritage of Canadian clock manufacturers and retailers spanning from the early 1800s through to the present day. This includes clocks produced domestically as well as those with Canadian retail labels, reflecting the country's horological history in a national context.

Collections and Exhibits

The museum's holdings have expanded to encompass more than three thousand clocks and related artifacts, including major collections of notable Canadian clock brands and makers such as:

• Pequegnat clocks (Berlin/Kitchener, 1904–1941)
• Westclox alarm and wall clocks (Peterborough, 1920 to mid-1980s)
• Snider clocks (Toronto, 1950–1976)
• Walter mantel clocks (Toronto, late 1930s to mid-1950s)
• Girotti wall clocks (St. Catharines, early 1960s to 1979)

Additionally, there are clocks with British and American connections, such as a working circa 1921 Synchronome master wall clock with a connected slave dial and an early 1930s Blick Time Recorders factory clock where visitors can interact by printing their "in" and "out" time on a souvenir card. The collection also features mid-1800s shelf clocks with peddlers’ labels from Leeds County, Canada West.

Besides clocks, the museum displays dozens of period artifacts and functioning record players from the 1910s to the 1960s, including models by Edison, Columbia, Victor, and Thorens, adding depth to the historical context of timekeeping devices.

Research and Outreach

The Canadian Clock Museum is active in horological research, having published at least ten peer-reviewed articles in the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC) Bulletin covering lesser-known Canadian clock companies. Further scholarly work is ongoing. The museum's focus on telling the story of two centuries of Canadian clockmaking and retailing has also been shared through public talks and virtual tours, reaching over one hundred thousand online viewers as of early 2024.

Significance

The Canadian Clock Museum stands as a unique cultural institution preserving an important aspect of Canadian industrial and social history through horology. It provides educational opportunities for visitors and researchers interested in the craftsmanship, technological evolution, and regional heritage of clocks in Canada.

This article reflects the status and information about The Canadian Clock Museum as of early 2024.[1][2][3][4][5]