Town Clock

East Dubuque Local Area History Project

	by G.Q. 5/1/00
	The town clock located in the pedestrian way in the down town Dubuque has a long history. In 1864 Doctor Asa Horr raised the funds to purchase the town clock, and George D. Wood, a local merchant, gave to the city the lease to the building roof for the town clock.

	The first town clock was purchased at the cost of $2,000.00. The bell was an additional $304.00. George D. Wood put up the clock for $1,000.00. William Longhurst of Dubuque designed the trim. This was to protect the clock from frost, snow, rain, and sleet. W.W. Wormwood was in charge of keeping the clock running.

	The first town clock was located on the top of the John Bell and Company which sold dry goods and notions. Workmen working on the construction site next door, the Plein Building, noticed cracks in the Bell building and warned people. Saturday May 25, 1872, at 5:16 P.M., the town clock and the John Bell and Company building collapsed. Two women and a child were killed.

	The primary cause of this accident was the construction site next door. The other cause was that the foundation was not strong enough to hold the town clock and the building at the same time.

	Architect Fridolin J. Heer Sr. designed a new building and the roof would be the foundation of the new town clock. April 17, 1873, at a cost of $5,309.45, Dubuque had its new clock. Over the years, this clock was repaired and cleaned. In 1927, the city purchased a modern Seth Thomas clock movement.

	In the 1960s Dubuque’s down town had a major make-over and it was moved from the store at 825 Main to the Town Clock Square. The pedestal, base, and clock stands 108.05 feet above the plaza. Friday, August 13, 1971 that the Town Clock Plaza was dedicated.

	Bibliography Dubuque Folklore: A Contribution from American Trust and Savings Bank to Dubuqueland in Celebration of Our Nations’ Bicentennial 1776-1976. Dubuque, Iowa: American Trust and Savings Bank, 1976. Lyons, Randolph W. Dubuque: the Encyclopedia. Dubuque, Iowa: Union-Hoerrmann Press, 1991. Photo Courtesy of Center for Dubuque History. Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa.