The History of the Wooden Clock

Cuckoo clocks were often constructed of wooden parts.

Wooden clocks were not only practical but also works of art that dominated the European world of clock-making in the 16th through 18th centuries. These early clocks, although not as accurate as modern clocks, were a vast improvement over hour candles and sundials.

Origins

The first wooden clock powered by a spring was invented in the 1500s by Peter Henlien. During the 1600s, Christiaan Huygens created pendulum clocks. Moreover, he invented the wheel and spring that improved the accuracy of these early wooden clocks.

Cuckoo Clocks

Early in the 1700s, Wooden Clock Works Company formed in Germany. Over the course of the century, wooden clock-making grew from a cottage industry to a booming business with the advent of cuckoo clocks. Cuckoo clocks originated in Germany in the Black Forest region; the creation of the first cuckoo clock is attributed to Anton Ketterer in 1738.

American Wooden Clocks

Benjamin Banneker created the first wooden clock in America in 1761. An American clockmaker, Eli Terry, of Plymouth, Connecticut, built wooden pendulum clocks beginning in 1803. He constructed more then 1,000 of these clocks, inspiring fellow clock-makers with his technique.

References

• Sympatico: History
• Inventors: African American Egineers and Inventors
• Salem Clock Shop: A HISTORY OF CUCKOO CLOCKS
• Wooden Clock: History of Wooden Clocks
• Antiquarian Horological Society: Clock Time-Line