Brown Street Clock Registry


The following is a list of the known Brown Streets Clocks that are still in existance.

******Bayonne, N.J.Known as the Abramson's Clock and restored in 2010, it is located at 484 Broadway St.

******Orange, CA Located in front of Felix's Continental Cafe and "The Flats" on the Orange Circle (38 Plaza Square, Orange, CA)

******Lexington, KY......Skuller's Clock - close-up pic

******Elkhart, Indiana........Owned by Omega Center

******West Hills, California.......Owned by Hidden Lake Club House

******Huntington Beach, CA.......Owned by Stephen Rini...originally from Lindsey's Jewelers of Kansas City, MO

****** Bedford, New Hampshire.......owned by Norman Croan

******Charlotte, NC........owned by Jim VanOrsdel

******Bedminster Township, PA......owned by Elmer Conti
The nicest restored original Brown Street Clock anywhere. Many hours spent on sand blasting,
prepping, and painting case, restored movement and dial. This is way the all Brown clocks should look.
Here is a photo of interior of the base.

******Murphysboro, Illinois

******Denver, Colorado..........Located near 15th & Larimer Streets the 'Market Clock', circa 1910.

******Salem, Oregon

******Oxford, Ohio..........Restored by the City of Oxford.

******Center, Texas

******Fanueil Hall Market Place, Boston, Massachusetts.........Need Picture

******Chillicothe, Ohio........owned by Crosskeys Tavern

******Finleyville, PA ................(I could not find this clock in 2003)

******Alhambra, CA

******Monrovia, CA.......Owned by Box Jewelers

******Bedford, N.H. .......Fidelity Restoration Service - Norman Croan. Formerly owned by Steve Mitchell of East Derry, N.H. This clock was from Charlotte, S.C. originally.

******Scottsdale,PA........1910

******Bartlesville, OK

*****Owosso, MI.............City of Owosso owns this clock which is located downtown at 112 W. Main St. It originally belonged to L.P. Ball Jeweler from about 1920 until 1958, then it was sold to V. L. Schmidt and eventually bought by the City and re-installed on Main St. in about 1990. It has a Telechron electric movement and uses smaller dials.

******Yazoo City, MO....Anderson's Jewelry Store...........I need a better picture....please e mail one if you can.

******McCook, Nebraska......Carnegie Library Museum - owner.

******Kewanee, Illinois..........Two dial with side lights. It is located on the main street in front of a real estate office. It has been electrified.


If you know of existing Brown Street Clocks, or have an original factory catalog,
Please use email below.

steveschmidt at hotmail.com


HISTORY OF THE BROWN STREET CLOCK COMPANY

H.R. Brown was a jeweler by trade and he along with his sons, Ross M., Walter J. and Benjamin E. purchased the E.F. Segner Jewelry Store, located at 669 McKean Ave. Donora, PA in 1904. The Browns also bought the C.F. Blair Jewelry Store, located at 532 Donner Ave. Monessen, PA, which was operated by Ross and then later by Benjamin.

The local paper reported on Dec. 28, 1906 that Benjamin and Walter had purchased a two story brick building on Donner Ave. This partnership split up in Jan. 1911.

Circa 1915

A 1909 newspaper article reported the Benjamin had secured an agency of the REO automobile.

It is believed that Benjamin was the inventor and manufacturer of the Brown Street Clocks. His youngest son, Kenneth R., did service work on the street clocks through the years including re-painting the cases and dials and servicing the movements. Other employees included a Mr. Craig who painted the dials and Lester Hunter who assisted Kenneth Brown in service.

A major jewelry supply company by the name of Swartchild & Company of Chicago, advertised the Brown Street Clock Company line of street clocks in its 1910 catalog. Brown built five different models with tallest being 14 feet, 10 inches. The head and base were made of cast iron and the fluted column of 2-ply, 22 gauge galvanized steel, doric design. The dials were custom designed with the jeweler's name on it. And clock numbers could be either Roman or Arabic style font.

The Master movement is located in the base and runs eight days with one winding. Quality cast brass plates, Graham deadbeat escapement, maintaining power on cable barrel and cast iron motion works mounting bracket. Electric lights were installed behind dials for illumination and the clock weighs 1,625 lbs. when crated for shipment.

Walter J. Brown died in Nov. 1920 at age 52 and it was reported that his wife, Isabelle C. and children, took over the operation of the Donora store.

Later, employee, Aderian Ferrier, recalled that the Brown Street Clock Company used the rear portion of this store building as it's warehouse. The iron castings were made by the Old Radiator Works in West Newton, PA. They were brought to the Donora store and the clocks were assembled there. Lester Hunter recalled that some of the iron castings were also made at the Monessen Foundry. In 1924, the Brown Street Clock Company was still in business and the name Richard M. Brown appears on company letterhead. It is uncertain when this company closed, but probably in the mid to late 1920s.

License plate on Republic Truck is a is 1914. Taken in front of Monessen Savings & Trust Bank. The clock is a Brown clock, model #13,400, and is lettered "Monessen Savings & Trust Co."


Located in Cedarburg, WI



Circa 1910-15 Brown Street Clock sales catalog listed the following known locations of Brown Street Clocks:

Salt Lake City, Utah
North Platte, Nebraska
Pueblo, Colorado
Cleveland, Ohio
Selina, Ohio
Newark, Ohio....1915
Montpelier, Ohio
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Hollidaysburg, PA
Nanticoke, PA
Ford City, PA
Sunbury, PA
Donora, PA
Monessen, PA
Clairton, PA
Medina, Ohio
Barnesville, Ohio
Sistersville, West Virginia


Two of these Lions Heads adorned each Brown Street Clock.


Notice the 2 different column designs of the Brown Street clock. At the bottom of some of the columns, it appears to have a molded look just above the square clock base and additional rings around the column itself. Also the name 'Brown Street Clock Co.' is on one side of the base and 'Monesson, PA' on the opposite side. This may be a later design.

Below, may be the earlier style column


If you have further information regarding these clocks, please email:

steveschmidt at hotmail.com