A line inlaid cherry Tall Case Clock of Eastern Connecticut origin. Possibly made by Jordan Post in Lanesboro, MA. PP-165.
This fine cherry case tall clock was most likely made by Jordon Post. The construction of this movement suggests that Post made this clock. The cigar-shaped pillars that support the movement plates are a trait found in the Thomas Harland school of clockmaking. Jordan Post served his clock apprenticeship to Daniel Burnap in Windsor. We have owned several signed tall clocks by both clockmakers that shared the combination of the cigar-shaped posts and distinctive shaping of the movement plates found in this example.
This case exhibits traditional New England proportions and retains an older finish that has lightened with age. The base stands on four nicely formed ogee bracket feet. These are applied to the double-step molding, which is mounted to the base. An inlaid oval is centered in the base panel. A thin line of inlay frames the perimeter. This inlay pattern is repeated in the rectangular-shaped waist door, which is trimmed with applied molding. Through this door, one can access the weights and brass-faced pendulum. Fluted quarter columns are positioned in the front corners of the waist. These terminate in brass quarter capitals. The bonnet features a very nice variation of a New England-style fretwork pattern. Three fluted chimneys or finial plinths support the three brass ball-and-spiked finials. Fully turned and fluted bonnet columns are fitted into brass capitals and visually support the molded arch. The arched bonnet door is fitted with glass. It opens to access the painted iron dial.
This iron dial is colorfully paint-decorated. The four spandrel areas are decorated with geometric-style fans. Depicted in the arch are two large colorful birds. This dial displays the hours, minutes, seconds, and calendar date in the traditional format. This dial is not signed.
This fine movement is constructed in brass and is of good quality. Four turned cigar-shaped pillars support the two brass plates. Non-essential areas of the plates are cut away, resulting in the conservation of brass. Hardened steel shafts support the polished steel pinions and the brass gearing. The escapement is a recoil design. The winding drums are grooved to accept the weight cord in an orderly fashion. The movement is powered by two weights and designed to run for eight days. It is a two-train or a time-and-strike design having a rack and snail striking system. As a result, it will strike a bell each hour on the hour. The cast iron bell is positioned above the movement.
This very attractive example was made circa 1795. It stands approximately 7 feet 2 inches tall to the top of the center finial.
Inventory number PP-165.
Jordan Post was born in Hebron, Connecticut, on March 6, 1767, and died in Scarborough, Canada, in 1845. He was one of eight children born to Jordon Post and Abigail Loomis. It is now thought that he served his apprenticeship with the Connecticut Clockmaker Daniel Burnap. When comparing the work of the two, one will note that there is a strong similarity in movement design and construction. There is also a similarity in the two clockmakers' dial layouts in terms of the sizing of the calendar apertures. Once a Clockmaker in his own right, Jordan Post moved northwest to the village of Lanesboro, Massachusetts. Lanesboro is now a small section of the city of Pittsfield. An advertisement has been documented that places him there in 1793. His time in Lanesboro was short. By November of 1793, he had moved north to Vergennes, Vermont. On November 7, he advertised in the Spooner Vermont Journal that he had "erected a house for a Distillery, Malting, and Brewing, in the city of Vergennes..." In 1797 he was known in Vergennes as a clock and watchmaker. His next move was in 1802, to York, Canada. In York, he became the town's first clock and watchmaker. Here his business on the corner of King and Ay Street thrived. In 1804 he received a 200-acre grant in Hungerford, and over the next 30 years, he acquired additional property. This area would become the center of present-day Toronto. Jordon Street was named in his honor. In the 1820s, he began to sell off land and profited handsomely. In the early 1830s, he moved again. This time to Scarborough, where he constructed a sawmill on Highland Creek. This business also did very well. Post died in Scarborough in 1845 and was remembered as a highly successful and trusted citizen.
Clocks are reported signed by this Maker in all three locations. As a Clockmaker / Artisan in Canada, he was one of the first Clockmakers in that Country and one of the few that made complete clocks and trained apprentices. His output was small, most likely due to the early and primitive environment.
