UMass Doc Restores Centuries Old Marlborough Hospital Willard Clock

MARLBOROUGH, MA — Spare a few minutes next time you're at Marlborough Hospital to check out the restored Willard grandfather clock in the Leahy conference room, it'll be time well spent.

UMass Memorial Dr. Jonathan Stein certainly thinks so. The longtime anesthesiologist recently completed a surgical restoration of the clock after noticing it several years ago somewhat forgotten in the back corner of the conference room.

Stein isn't just any doctor, he's been an antique collector for 40 years, with a special interest in American clocks from the federal era.

Add another local coincidence: the premier American clock craftsmen from that era, brothers Benjamin, Simon, Ephraim and Aaron Willard, got their start in Grafton. Stein recognized the clock right away as a Willard piece, with the signature of the family's chief clockmaker, Simon Willard, right on it.

"It's signed very elegantly 'Simon Willard'and says 'Grafton,'" Stein recalled this week.

The inclusion of "Grafton" on the clock helped Stein date the piece to between 1760 and 1780, which is when the Willard family was making clocks in Grafton. The operation moved to Boston after 1780. The family did their finest work in the Roxbury workshop, experts believe.

How the clock got to Marlborough is a bit of a mystery. All anyone knows is that someone donated it between 50 and 80 years ago. Over the years, it suffered some indignities: someone drilled a padlock into it, the hands had been epoxied to the main shaft, and it just plain didn't run.

Stein owns four other similar clocks, including a Willard (and another made by a Simon Willard apprentice). Due to the scarcity of antique clock repair shops in the area, Stein has learned to repair the pieces himself.

After getting permission from hospital administrators, he took the Willard home and began repairing it. The process took about six months, and included sending bent gears for repair to clock specialists in Texas, and restoring the finials and intricate wooden fretwork that crown the piece.

Even though the Boston Willard clocks are considered the best, Marlborough Hospital's clock has some features that make it stand out, Stein said. It has a brass dial that's very rare for a clock from the Grafton period.

Representatives from the Willard House and Clock Museum were not immediately available to provide more insight into the hospital's piece. But at close to 250 years old, the clock might run for another few hundreds years — enough time for visitors to see it in action.

"It's just a rarity and a real treasure the hospital has. It strikes every hour; the bell is in perfect condition, and it has a beautiful tone," Stein said.