THE SINGULAR
AND UNUSUAL
"The 8th Wonder or Engle Clock and its builder, copyrighted 1878 by Capt. J. Reid," photographed by --rdner of Philadelphia (name partially unreadable)
Stephen Decatur Engle and his gigantic clock, eleven feet tall by eight feet wide
Thanks to two resourceful customers (thanks Barbara and Jerry!) I now know something of the story of the Engle Clock.
It was built by Stephen Decatur Engle, of Hazelton, PA. He was a watchmaker, jeweler, dentist, maker of false teeth, avid fisherman, and the father of ten children. (One may wonder when he had time to build his fabulous clock!)
Engle had originally intended the clock for exhibition in the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876. Unfortunately, he finished it a year too late. Not to be outdone, he began to exhibit the giganitc clock himself. A couple of years later he allowed the Captain Reid mentioned on the view and Mrs. Reid to travel and exhibit the clock as "The 8th Wonder of the World," charging the curious of the New England and Mid-Atlantic states ten cents a head to watch the clock operate.
The clock is still in good working order and may be seen at the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors Museum in Columbia, Pa (see link below). The following description is from their web page: "Stephen Engle's clock includes 48 moving figures, two barrel organs, and a Tellurian patented by Engle. The Tellurian is centered on the base of the clock and shows the positions of the stars in relation to the Earth's position each day. An apostolic procession takes place while a barrel organ plays hymns and a Roman soldier constantly moves across the top of the highest tower. Another organ plays fife music while soldiers pass in front of Molly Pitcher."
NAWCC Museum-Engle Clock
