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The Lee County Ledger, Thursday, August 9, 2001 - Pag< Historical Happeings by Lee Stanley The Old Hands of Time The Lee County Courthouse Tower Clock The 1,000-pound tower bell located on second level of the Bell Tower is dated 1917 The first authenticated Tower Clock was built in 1360 for King Charles V of France. It is now mounted in the Palais de Justice in Paris. The first re corded ac count of a tower clock in the United States was in a church in Ipswich. Massachu setts. in 1704. Of the 159 coun ties in Geor gia, 85 have tower clocks. Most of the me chanical tower clocks in Georgia were manufactured between 1885 and 1910. When the Lee County Court house was built in 1917, the E. Howard Clock Company of Bos ton installed the tower clock and bell. The clock mechanism is lo cated in the upper level of the clock tower. On the floor below the clock is a 1,000-pound bell dated 1917. This section of the tower has the louvered openings to let the sound out. Up until 1940, the Courthouse clock was a “weight and pendulum” driven system. Every week, a person had to climb 5 ladders to the upper story of the courthouse and wind the clock. In 1940, a small elec tric motor was added and the “electrified” system only required resetting when power was dis turbed or twice during the year when daylight savings time re quired the clock to be changed. The clock system is a very in teresting piece of engineering. A crown gear on top of the clock works turns four other gears. Each of these gears is attached to metal tubes that reach across the room to the four clock faces, each 5 feet in diameter. Smaller gears then turn both the minute and hour hands of each clock face. As you can see when looking at the clock, hands showing the time can be seen from all four direc tions. north, south, east and west. Having the four faces makes the clock tower a centerpiece for the city. Citizens from a good dis tance can see the 90 foot tower and can tell the time from the through town, some of the younger students will see the clock tower for the first time and try to remember their roman nu- m e r a 1 s . Over the past 84 years, a lot of eyes have looked up at this old clock to check a moment in time. Dur ing these many years, the tower clock has been there for soldiers heading north on trains during World War II or for farmers and their workers bringing peanuts and other crops to town for pro cessing or storage. For many, over these years, the clock bell has sig naled the time to start work, eat lunch, take a break or head home after a full day. In the new digital world in which we live, many may believe the old courthouse clock serves no useful purpose, but I would disagree. In the rush and fast pace of today, we all need a reminder of a slower, more peaceful time. Once in a while, we may need to hear the ring of the tower bell or look up at the old clock and while thinking of the future, remember the treasures of the past. Over 150 years ago. a poet wrote, clocks help us keep pace with time as, “hours, days, and years slide softly away”. View of clockworks on stand with gears connecting the four clock faces View of clock face from inside the clock tower WOODSTONE APARTMENTS 320 Main Street, Leesburg, GA 759-8258 Call Sharon - Office Now Open Monday thru Thursday 8-12 MOVE-IN NOW! VERY AFFORDABLE! Located in the city limits of Leesburg, minutes from dowtown Albany. Enjoy this professionally landscaped community’ and grilling out at our pavilion $280 .... 1 BEDROOM $330 .... 2 BEDROOM $360 .... 3 BEDROOM Rent Includes: Water, Sewer, Garbage Laundry Facility • Community Room Energy Efficient • Central Heat & Air Dishwasher • Disposal • Stove Refrigerator • Carpeting • W/D Hookups EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY TDD # 1-800-255-0056 large hands on the clock. At night, lighting systems within the clock tower illuminate each face of the clock. The large bell is located one level below the clockworks. Ev ery hour, a metal hammer at tached to the clockworks by a long cable strikes the bell. It is interesting to note, the bell strikes on the hour, and for each hour of the day, the hammer hits the bell 156 times per day, seven days a week or 56.940 times every year. So. over the years, time and the elements have really tested the clock, bell and hammer. The bell can be heard from a good dis tance, but the sound is limited by traffic noise during the day. Late at night when things are much quieter, the sound of the large bell can be heard very clearly for sev eral hundred yards away. Before air-conditioning and closed win dows, I'm sure many citizens of Leesburg enjoyed hearing the old tower bell ring. With school starting this week, traffic through town and across the railroad tracks will be bumper-to-bumper. Many par ents, taking their children to school, will look up at the old clock tower, checking the time, as they head out on another busy day. As school buses travel FALL SPORTS REGISTRATION WITH THE LEE COUNTY PARKS & RECREATION DEPARTMENT FOOTBALL & CHEERLEADING REGISTRATION GOING ON NOW THROUGH SATURDAY, AUGUST 11TH. COST IS $50.00 FOR FOOTBALL AND $65.00 FOR CHEERLEADING ($40.00 IF YOU HAVE UNIFORM FROM LAST SEASON AND WANT TO CHEER FOR THAT SAME TEAM). REGISTRATION TIMES ARE 4:00 PM TO 6:30 PM MONDAY THRU FRIDAY AND SATURDAY FROM 9:30 AM-2:30 PM. PLEASE BRING A COPY OF YOUR CHILDS BIRTH CERTIFICATE WITH YOU FOR US TO KEEP ON FILE. YOUR CHILD WILL ALSO NEED TO BE WITH YOU IN ORDER TO BE FITTED FOR A UNIFORM. Cofee News FOR MORE INFORMATION ON FALL REGISTRATION, CALL 759-6047! View of Clock Tower TERESA’S HOUSE CLEANINl Licensed • Bonded • Insured Home or Business • New Construction Monday - Friday 7:00 AM -until Free Estimates • No job too small or big Phone: 446-6353 Pager: 439-3205 Cell: 894-8048 Owner: Teresa Holl Jack F. Varner — Attorney at Law - Divorces Contested or Uncontested Worker's Comp. Auto Accidents Bodily Injury, Real Estate, Wills, General Practice 25 yrs experience Peach Tree Village 425-2449 104 Century Rd. 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Call u for pump service or well drilling MEMORIALS Results Follow Tradition! r °m Memo' U.S. Hwy 19 (N. across from Winn Albany, 371 Hwy. 19 S. Camilla, GA Raymond Parker Mary Parker Carol Da' Roberts 336-8112 An Entrusted Family Name Since li Jack Daniel’s Garden Pate State Farmers Market 409 Philema Road 1/4 mile South of Chehaw Park 420-0920 - Call or Just Come By Open 9:00 - 6:00 Mon- Sat Butterbeans (freshly shelled) Peas (all varieties) and Sweet Corn GA grown peaches, tomatoes, watermelons, and cantaloupes