The Strand Clock

in
561d9081b143a01ae193d574d26f317b--galveston.jpg

Recently, I was shopping downtown and, for the first time, took note of a very tall, Victorian-era clock standing at the southeast corner of Strand and 22nd streets, in front of the First National Bank Building.

“Wow,” I thought. “How long has that clock been there? Where did it come from? Who put it up?”

So, naturally, when I returned to The Bungalow, I got online and did some research.

I learned the clock is 17-feet tall, and the timepiece measures four feet in diameter and sits atop the fluted metal stand. As I noticed, the base, stand and frame are all painted green.

I learned too that the clock dates to roughly 1900, a significant date in the history of Galveston.

As the story goes, John and Gerald Sullivan located the clock in a San Antonio warehouse in 1989 and hired Bill Young of Dallas to restore it. Later, the Sullivans donated the operational clock to the Galveston Historical Foundation for permanent display at its present location.

There is a plaque at the base of the clock that reads: Dedicated to the Galveston Historical Foundation and the Citizens of Galveston by the families of John L. and Cynthia L. Sullivan and Gerald A. and Susanne H. Sullivan. December 19, 1989

I liked seeing the clock, and I liked too learning about its history. No doubt, I will now notice it every time I walk down The Strand. And, I will look up at its face - with pride and much appreciation for those who brought it here.