Lincoln County Courthouse clock is getting a facelift
By Michael J. Caylor, Jr.
CONTRIBUTOR
It stands above us as we go about our daily lives. It watched many of us come over the bridge from the hospital that first time as our lives began. It saw millions of tourists pass through town as they sought solace in the north woods and then returned to reality when the vacation was over.
It also saw many people leave town, some of whom never returned. And it looked down upon many a funeral procession pass by, as we took our loved ones to their final rest.
Now, slowly but surely, the County is restoring portions of the Courthouse clock. Much of the work is being done for the first time since the clock started telling time back in 1903.
This past Friday, I was honored to once again climb the many sets of steps to the roof of the Courthouse to observe Lincoln County Maintenance Director Pat Gierl and Andy Rudolph replace the hands of the north face of the clock with new aluminum hands, taking the place of the wooden ones.
Gierl does not believe the hands have ever been replaced, and he found the project was not as easy as first thought. Merrill Tool and Water Jet did a majority of the work on the hands, donating some of their time as an effort to advance the project. However, the gear box that actually moves the hands also had to be re-built, adding more time to the project.
An electric motor that turns the 1903 Seth Thomas timepiece was also rebuilt by Lindner Electric in Wausau. The motor, which likely dated back to 1943, was a unique project for Lindner and their workers as, according to Gierl, it was something they had never seen before.
Originally, the clock operated with large weights, which suspended a story beneath the tower. Gierl estimated that someone would have to climb up to the third floor and wind the clock every few days, much like one would wind the weights of a grandfather clock.
The space behind the clock face originally had one single timber that workers had to balance upon to do repairs or to adjust the hands. However, a few years ago, Gierl and his crew constructed a wooden platform in the space. It took an entire day to carry the lumber up to the area by hand.
Now, Andy Rudolph installed the gear box, before attaching the hands and the weights that keep them balanced. Gierl then emerged from the clock, as he and Rudolph used their cell phones to synchronize the hands with the clock itself, as the bells chimed 12 times to mark the noon hour.
Other projects for the Courthouse include a new flat roof for the north side of the building. The current roof is leaking and showing signs of damage from ice jams over the years. The estimated cost of the roof is $75,000. However, Gierl plans to send out requests for proposals for the project within the next year and hopes contractors will be eager to be competitive for the chance to place their mark on the historic structure.
One of the more visible needs is to have the face of the clock itself repainted. Gierl told of how the project itself will likely take less than a gallon of paint, but the mechanics of the project will be tremendous, as a crane and large scaffolding will likely be needed to reach the clock face. With the roof being the priority, Gierl is not sure when the painting will take place. “It is a beautiful building, but the mechanics can be very costly,” he noted.
The Courthouse and its clock tower have stood as the gateway to Merrill for 118 years. Hopefully, no matter the timeline of the next projects needed to maintain its beauty, the hands of time will continue to turn long after we have passed below it for our final time.