Community Corner
Hidden Gem: Willard House and Clock Museum
Discover a Hidden Gem in Grafton that you may have driven by and never known it existed. Or maybe you have not visited this interesting spot in years. So take a little tip with Patch...we'll show you the way.
Which one of Grafton’s gems has hands that can’t hold, 200-year-old
faces, and owns timeless history?
If you follow the choir of rhythmic ticking down Willard Street, it will lead you to the answer at the .
Since 1971, the Willard House & Clock Museum has been home to some of Grafton’s oldest clocks, and holds the title as the oldest building in town. Some of the clocks are dated back to 1766, when Grafton’s own clockmaker Benjamin Willard began crafting clocks.
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The Willard House & Clock Museum displays more than 70 clocks made by Willard and his family, as well as Victorian heirlooms, paintings and furniture.
The most famous pieces found in the museum include Willard’s
Improved Timepiece clocks, also known as “banjo clocks,” which are considered one of the most momentous clock styles in America today.
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Director Cynthia Dias said a unique part of the museum is that almost all of the clocks run at once, all thanks to a talented conservator from Scotland.
“David Gow is our conservator,” she said. “He cleans, oils and makes any repairs on our clocks. His work is top-notch.”
Visitors can walk around the original workshop where Willard made his clocks, take a tour of the entire house and stop by the gift shop.
Visiting hours for the Willard House & Clock Museum are Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.
For more information, call 508-839-3500, or visit the Willard House & Clock Museum website.
For more information on Patch Passport, see http://patch.com/A-k0J8.
