Making Time for the National Watch and Clock Museum

Remember to set your clocks back an hour before going to bed tonight because tomorrow, November 5, officially marks the end of Daylight Savings Time for this year. Don’t let the fact that evenings will start arriving earlier get you down. Instead, you should be basking in the fact that your early morning commutes are about to become brighter, and you’ll even be temporarily rewarded with an extra hour to sleep in on Sunday.

A zoomed-in image of a clock.
Credit: Pexels

With all this talk about time, perhaps a visit to the National Watch and Clock Museum in Columbia, Pennsylvania, is in order. This is undeniably one of Lancaster County’s more unique, albeit, underrated museums to explore.

The tower clock outside of the National Watch and Clock Museum.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The National Watch and Clock Museum was established in 1977 by the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC), a nonprofit organization that also operates the NAWCC Library & Research Center onsite. As it was when it was first founded, the museum remains one of a select few in the United States dedicated to horology—the science and art of time and timekeeping. Furthermore, it’s here you will find the largest horological collective holding in all of North America.

A display exhibit showcasing several different clocks.
Credit: Discover Lancaster

In its vast collection, the National Watch and Clock Museum boasts more than 12,000 clocks and watches, with about 3,000 or so on display at any given time. Exhibits here include both rotating collections and permanent displays. Some of the special highlights you will see when visiting include novelty American clocks and watches, European clocks, Asian timepieces, monumental clocks, railroad clocks, and many other specialized clocks with unique backstories. One example of the latter is the impressive Engle Clock—a complex monument piece built by Stephen Decatur Engel of Hazelton, Pennsylvania. The clock took more than 20 years to finish and was lost to the public in the 1950s before its rediscovery in a barn in New York in 1983.

Three images of different clock displays to be seen at the museum. The left image shows the Engle Clock, the middle is a clock from the War Department, and the right clock is a railroad clock.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Yet, not every exhibit here presents a storied timepiece. Some focus on clock/watch-making mechanics and tools. You’ll even come across ancient time-telling artifacts like sundials, hourglasses, and devices that are unheard of today. One special display highlights the pioneering developments by the American Waltham Watch Company which allowed for the first mass-produced watches with interchangeable parts to be established. 

There’s also a local focus on clock and watchmaking in Lancaster County specifically. What’s more, you can enjoy an onsite Learning Center to gain insight into various other clock-related technologies and innovations.

All of the above make this museum a fascinating day trip experience for any visitor. From enthusiastic horologists to young children alike, you just can’t miss the opportunity to attend this “time-tested” favorite for yourself.

A novelty Woody Woodpecker clock on display at the National Watch and Clock Museum.
Credit: Discover Lancaster

The National Watch and Clock Museum is located at 514 Poplar Street, Columbia, PA 17512. For more information, including admission rates and hours of operation visit their website at https://museum.nawcc.org.