With nearly 1,500 museums in New York State, it would take several months, more likely years, to see them all. Can I tell you, I’m up for the job? I love learning about culture, people, and history; museums are some of the best places to gain insight into our fascinating past. Most of my favorite museums are smaller niche ones, undiscovered places that locals know about, yet they somehow remain under the radar of tourists ‘must-visit’ lists.
I’ve found museums in historic homes, where items from prominent families have been preserved and displayed for visitors to enjoy. I’ve also discovered little-known museums that showcase everyday items, like Jello memorabilia or the peppermint oil business. When I heard about The Hoffman Clock Museum, tucked inside the local Newark Public Library in Wayne County, New York, I knew I’d have to visit, especially because they said the clocks chime together—all of them—on the noon hour, wicked cool!
Augustus L. Hoffman was a talented watchmaker and retail jeweler. During the 30 years he worked in Newark, he continued to add to his collection of unique timepieces, ranging from small pocket watches to stunning grandfather clocks. His second wife, Jennie, amassed an impressive lusterware, glassware, and porcelain collection during her lifetime. In their later years, the couple knew they wanted to preserve their compilations so others could enjoy them. The Hoffman Foundation trustees worked hand-in-hand with the Newark Public Library to have the clock collection and many of Jennie’s pieces displayed in a new wing, which had been added to the library and opened in December 1954.
The stunning exhibit of rare clocks highlights the clockmaker’s craft and the passionate history of clockmaking in America. Examples of these works include those by Abner Jones, Jared Arnold, Lawyer Byington, Aaron Crane, and Asa Munger.
Since the museum's opening, many donations from around the world have been added. Others are on loan or purchased, making the collection quite robust. I was able to view clocks from Austria, Germany, France, Japan, and China, to name a few. Believe it or not, more than 500 clocks, watches, and clockmaking tools are on display.
It felt strange, walking into a public library and then further on, into a room filled with so many beautiful pieces. I wasn’t the only one there, either. People were wandering around, admiring the collection and pointing out their favorites. A young boy was visiting with his mother, standing before a cuckoo clock, smiling because it was his favorite.
There are Ithaca Calendar clocks, “banjo clocks,” and a 1910 International Time Clock, first manufactured in Oneonta, that is still operational! You punch in with a timecard. The vast exhibit also features a German clock made in 1830.
My great-uncle had several banjo clocks in his Dedham, Massachusetts, home. They were invented by Simon Willard, who came from Grafton, Mass. He had them patented in 1802. As a young child, I loved the hinged doors on the rectangular pendulum boxes at the bottom section of each one. They had a pretty design with reverse-painted glass panels (verre églomisé), mainly of ships on stormy waters. My uncle Bill would tease me, saying he’d hidden candy inside and I could have a piece if I finished my homework, cleaned my bedroom, got an A on my history test. Blahblahblah… Seeing some of this type of clock at the museum made me feel nostalgic, missing my favorite uncle and his jolly demeanor.
Suddenly, one of the librarians called out, “Are you guys ready?” A group of strangers stood still and waited. I’d never heard anything like it – a rhapsody, this fantastic set of melodies marking the passage of the exact moments we were standing in. We couldn’t tell where the sound started or when it would stop. It traveled around every corner of the room, chiming, tick-tock-ing, cuckoo-ing, sounds that simultaneously competed and complemented each other. It was a lovely spectacle. When silence filled the space again, we grinned at one another, grateful for the shared experience that meant we weren’t strangers anymore.
If you plan to visit, here’s what you need to know
Hours of Operation:
Monday-Thursday 9:30 am – 7:00 pm
Friday: 9:30 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday: 9:30 am – 1:30 pm
Sundays and Holidays: Closed
Address: 121 High Street, Newark, NY, 14513
Admission: free
Group Tours:
Contacting the museum’s curator is the best way to arrange group tours. A donation is greatly appreciated.
For those of us living in a modern world, I think the main appeal of visiting museums is to gain a fascinating glimpse into the past. By peeking into and studying another time and place, we gain a new perspective on how people lived, what they had, and how they thrived in their era. There’s no better way to learn about a place and a time than visiting a museum that showcases its intricacies. Even when I think I’m NOT interested in learning about something, I always try to stay open-minded, and more often than not am pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoy learning about the subject.
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Theresa St. John is a freelance travel writer, photographer, and videographer based in Saratoga Springs, New York. She is interested in WWII history, museums, food, slavery, the Underground Railroad, interviewing interesting people, restaurant reviews, local travel, anything ghost-related, and the Erie Canal, among other things. Theresa loves to travel and sinks her feet into the moments of places she visits. Her photography essays, along with the written word, help tell the story to readers everywhere.