The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

David Ames Clock Farm

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David Ames Clock Farm (general view, 2003), Stonehill College

David Ames Clock Farm (detail, 2003), Stonehill College

Institution Name: Stonehill College
Original/Historic Place Name: Clock Farm
Location on Campus: Rt. 138
Date(s) of Construction and Designer(s):

1870	clock Unknown
1908	original construction Unknown
1980	restoration Unknown

Type of Place: Individual building
Style(s): (Glossary)
Materials:

Foundation: stone (original); cement (current)

Walls: wood

Roof: shingle

Function:

ca. 1870-present (2007)	other (clock tower)
ca. 1908-1978	other (barns and stables for the Ames Family horse and Guernsey cow operations)
ca. 1978-present (2007)	facility management building

Significance: culture, history, landscape
Landmark designation:

none

Narrative: see below
References: see below

Narrative:
From the The Enterprise:
The David Ames Clock Farm, formerly the Clock Farm of the Ames estate where horses and Guernsey cows were bred, is known for its Howard Steeple Clock of which only 3000 exist in the United States. The steeple clock was installed in 1870 and served to summon the farmhands working on the sixty acres of fields. Other educational institutions with Howard steeple clocks include Yale University and Harvard University.

Stonehill College acquired the property on 23 October 1978 as a gift from David Ames, the reigning patriarch of the Ames family at the time. In 1980, the college had the clock restored and today continues its maintenance. The clock is crank-wound every four or five days and still rings every 15 minutes.

References:

I. Bibliographic sources:

The Enterprise. Brockton, MA: Enterprise Publishing Company.

II. Location of other data:

University: Special Collections