Tempus Fugit-The Westclox museum

Westclox began it's life as the The Western Clock manufacturing company and was based in Peru, IL. There had been a couple previous tries to get a clock company started but those ventures went bankrupt fairly quickly and so it was that on the 3rd attempt in 1888 the company finally got production up and running and it stayed in business from then on.  The company was granted a patent in 1908 for the "Big Ben" and by 1909 the clocks were being sold on the open market, with the time piece having the distinction of being the first alarm clock to be advertised in a national publication,, the Saturday Evening Post.

Business boomed for years with the company becoming one of the biggest producers of inexpensive pocket watches meant for the ordinary man who couldn't afford a more expensive custom made piece. In 1931 Westclox, which trademarked it's name in 1910, merged with the Seth Thomas company with both companies forming the General Time Corporation. Business kept booming and in 1938 they produced the first travel alarm clock which only added to their success. Then came World War two.

Westclox ceased civilian production of timepieces during the war and from 1942-45 concentrated on military contracts, producing aviation instruments and compasses for the U.S. army and was a major supplier of military fuses for the shells and bombs required for warfare.  Once the war was over Westclox swung right back into civilian production and business boomed again, with thousands of returning GI's wanting a watch of their own and now being able to afford it.

But all good things come to an end and so it was that in 1980 after nearly a 
Century of production the Westclox factory closed it's doors and passed into History.  Though the factory no longer hums with the roar of machinery producing clocks by the thousands there IS still a bit of Westclox still in the building in the form of the Westclox Museum.

The museum is open Monday,Wednesday and Friday from 9-3 and Saturday from 10-2.  Curators Ruth and Don Spayer will be more than happy to show you around the place which is filled to bursting with artifacts from the company's heyday and beyond. You'll see early clocks, later clocks & novelty clocks. And you'll see watches, watches and More watches.  They have a large collection of Tick Talk, the company's newsletter as well as photo's and memorabilia. Westclox had its own baseball team, it's own bowling alley and sponsored Huge dinners and events for their employees.  There's no admission to tour the museum though donations are gratefully accepted.  So if you have some time (No pun intended) take a drive over and tour a little museum that tells about a company that played a Big part in Illinois history.