Rare Clock Collection Exhibit at New York State Museum

The New York State Museum has announced the donation of a significant clock collection from historian and author G. Russell Oechsle.

Featuring more than 80 rare clocks made in Upstate New York between 1818 and 1927 — with a strong concentration from the 1820s and 1830s — the collection offers a vivid window into a once-thriving regional industry shaped by the opening of the Erie Canal.

Now on view, the exhibition highlights selections from the donation, capturing the entrepreneurial spirit that fueled clockmaking workshops along the canal corridors. Some shops lasted only a few years; others prospered for decades. Together, these clocks showcase exceptional craftsmanship and reveal the social and economic forces that transformed communities across New York State.

Among the exhibition highlights are a striking 1834 shelf clock by Abner Jones of Bloomfield, Ontario County, NY, with a stenciled column case and three-drawer base, and a Baird 1 Advertising Clock, produced in Plattsburgh between 1890 and 1896 for the Diamond Black Leather Oil Co. of Cleveland, featuring an 8-day brass movement. These objects — along with others in the collection — exemplify the ingenuity and artistry of a forgotten regional industry.

Oechsle and his wife Janet began collecting clocks in the mid-1970s, ultimately assembling the largest known collection of Upstate New York clocks, representing the work of 62 different makers.

The Museum’s display showcases a portion of this extraordinary gift, allowing visitors to experience firsthand the diversity and beauty of these historic timepieces.

The New York State Museum is located at the Cultural Education Center, 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, New York. Admission is free. Call (518) 474-5877 for more information.

Illustration: Oechsle Clock Collection exhibit logo featuring a clock by Abner Jones, Bloomfield, NY, ca. 1834.