Time will tell with Petaluma's town clock

If you noticed Petaluma's downtown clock was a bit tardy earlier this week, maybe it was just a little tired. After all, it is 129 years old.

After being notified by a citizen that the bell meant to chime at the top of each hour to mark the time was lagging by 16 minutes, city workers climbed inside the landmark clock, took a peek and figured out how to fix it.

"It's basic looking, but it's kind of complex in the way it operates," said Ken Burnett, Petaluma's inspection supervisor.

The 1882 clock sits atop the Masonic Lodge at the corner of Western Avenue and Petaluma Boulevard, serving as a landmark at the center of downtown.

Shortly after the cornerstone of the Masons' lodge was laid on Sept. 9, 1881, a citizen suggested a town clock be added, according to the Masons. The community rallied behind the cause and a $1,030 fund-raising goal was reached.

The clock was built in Connecticut by the Seth Thomas clock company, shipped around Cape Horn and up the Petaluma Creek in 1882, according to the Petaluma Visitors Bureau.

The Masons maintained the clock until the Depression, Burnett said, and then relinquished it to the city, which has taken care of it since.

The original housing was replaced in 1934, but the clockworks are original. The external hands are original, but a set of internal ones was stolen decades ago for the brass, Burnett said.

Last year, a weather vane was attached to the top of the clock, requiring all 100 feet of the fire department's ladder truck.

During this week's inspection, workers determined that the separate weight-driven gear systems that govern the clock's hands and chimes had gotten out of synch.

In July, the employee who was responsible for winding the clock and generally taking care of it retired, Burnett said, taking his clock-maintenance skills with him.

"But the three of us had a mind meld about how to get the clock in order," he said. "I think we're right back on time now. Our chimes are synched with the hour."

-- Lori A. Carter, The Press Democrat