The Case:
Our contributor wonders if her family clock kept time for the entire Midwest during the 19th century.
According to the story, the clock sat in the family jewelry store in Chicago and regulated time in other towns via telegraph signals.
History Detectives takes on the case, and discovers how regulating time became critical as America moved into the industrial age.
We visit a clock appraiser and a time-keeping historian and some interesting results from the Chicago Tribune historical archives.
Patricia Atwood would like to acknowledge that she misspoke about self-winding regulators not having pendulums. She meant to say that self-winding regulators did have pendulums but they were mostly spring-driven unlike the Mayo regulator which is powered by a hanging weight.
Article: Mayo’s Old Time Clock
This article describes Mayo’s old time clock, saying that it survived the Chicago fire in 1871.
Article: Standard Time
This Chicago Daily Tribune article from 1883 discusses various jewelers including J.B. Mayo and the regulation and business of time prior to the standardization for these jewelers.
Related Content
Technique:
Technique:
Technique:
Related Links
Explore
-
Also in Season 8
Duke Ellington Plates
What is the story behind the printing plates for this famous Jazz song?
-
Related Investigation
Exercise Records
What role did these records play in the sculpting of america's fixation with fitness?
-
Also in Season 8
Baker's Gold
What role did these unusual drawings play in one of the largest mass migrations in American history?
-
Also in Season 8
Spybook
What does this little black book reveal about spying on the home front during World War I?
-
Also with Elyse Luray
Space Boot
What does this odd-looking boot have to do with America's first steps in space?
-
Also with Elyse Luray
WWII Landing Craft
Did this vessel land tanks on the beaches of France during World War II?
Comments
This is a place for opinions, comments, questions and discussion; a place where viewers of History Detectives can express their points of view and connect with others who value history. We ask that posters be polite and respectful of all opinions. History Detectives reserves the right to delete comments that don’t conform to this conduct. We will not respond to every post, but will do our best to answer specific questions, or address an error.