Seth Thomas Clock Company of Thomaston, Conn. "School House" clock. 8 inch dial, 219138.
This "Drop Octagon 8-Inch" was made by the Seth Thomas Clock Company of Thomaston, Connecticut. This case form is commonly called a "School House" clock because it was often used in school rooms nationwide.
This is a nice, clean example. This oak-cased clock was made in February of 1918 and is so stamped on the back of the case in the Seth Thomas date code. This case measures approximately 17 inches long. The small size makes this model quite versatile. Every room in one's home, office, or cottage should have enough space to display it. The case is in good overall condition, retaining its original rich reddish finish that the Seth Thomas Company called a \""Fumed\"" finish. This finish format gave the clock case an aged appearance when brand new.
The time-only movement has been recently serviced and is in excellent working order. The brass front plate is die-stamped with the Maker's trademark and the model number "41B." This movement is spring wound and features a Geneva Stop winding mechanism. It is designed to run for eight days on a full wind. The pendulum bob is covered in brass. It can be viewed through the circular opening in the lower door.
The paper dial measures 8 inches in diameter and is applied to a tin pan. This original dial features a closed minute ring and the wording "MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" printed along the outside at the bottom. Large Arabic-style hour numerals are positioned inside the ring. The Maker's name is printed in block lettering across the dial's center. A brass bezel, which has been polished, is fitted with glass to protect the dial.
This very nice example is inventory number 219138.
Seth Thomas was born in Wolcott, Connecticut, in 1785. He was apprenticed as a carpenter and joiner and worked building houses and barns. He started in the clock business in 1807, working for clockmaker Eli Terry. Thomas formed a clock-making partnership in Plymouth, Connecticut, with Eli Terry and Silas Hoadley as Terry, Thomas & Hoadley. In 1810, he bought Terry's clock business, making tall clocks with wooden movements. Seth chose to sell his shares in the partnership in 1812, moving in 1813 to Plymouth Hollow, Connecticut, where he set up a factory to make metal-movement clocks. In 1817, he added shelf and mantel clocks. By the mid-1840s, He successfully transitioned to brass movements and expanded his operations by building a brass rolling mill and a cotton factory. In 1853, He incorporated the business but continued to be the majority shareholder. This clock business expanded until it became one of the "BIG Seven" in Connecticut. Their product line had offerings that competed at every price point, from kitchen clocks to precision regulators. Seth Thomas died in 1859. The community of Plymouth Hollow so revered him that they changed the name on July 6, 1875, to Thomaston in his honor. After his death, his son, Aaron, took over the company's leadership. Aaron is credited with increasing the business by adding a number of new case styles and improving production methods. The company went out of business in the 1980s.
