These pictures show my Seth Thomas Striking Tower Clock. The clock was made for West Virginia University in 1886. It resided in the Woodburn Hall tower on the West Virginia University campus until 1975. It was retired from service in the 1930's but left in the tower along with its replacement externally triggered weight driven movement.

When Woodburn was renovated in 1975, Harley Sheets and I purchased the two clocks and flipped a coin to see who got which one. I won the old pendulum clock.

These pictures were taken at the time of the clock's 90th birthday party in 1976. Sadly, we left the clock on our side porch when we moved to Massachusetts in 1978 and it is now badly rusted from the exposure to the New England winter. It will be one of my first major restoration projects following my retirement. The original restoration consisted of careful cleaning of 89 years of oil and bird droppings, but the paint and steel work were intact. The next one will involve restoring the steel work as well as possible by pickling and polishing.

The lady with the cake is Carol Hall who was the artist that made the cake in an authentic replica of Woodburn Hall's top floor and tower. The young couple looking at the cake are a bit older now.