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THE GAZETTE-TIMES. Heppner. OR, Thursday, Dec. 1. 17, Psg 3
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Nof many have seen Heppner from this viewpoint.
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Old Man Time alive
& ticking in Heppner
Since 1!K)2, one way or another, the Scth Thomas clock In
the Morrow County Courthouse has told the time.
As time would tell, the clock has been transferred from its
original weight type motion to electricity. But she still keeps
ticking and tolling its bell.
The clock has a somewhat sketchy history and even many
of the long time residents of the area don't recall where or
how. But most can remember when, since three huge clock
faces, facing all but south, tell the time, all the time.
Even at night. A street light has been installed in the clock
tower, the highest of the three stages of the clock which bears
a gold plate and the date, November 1902. on it.
It hasn't ticked continuously. For a time, when it was
changed over to electricity, the hands stopped. And during a
big wind in 19M, two of the faces blew out and had to be
replaced. And in I9f5, bullets forced more glass replacement.
Tall tales always seem to follow Father Time and the
Morrow County Courthouse clock is no exception. Though
details are pretty thin, one report said that during the big
flood of 1903. a year after this clock was born, that it struck
funny. Something like 13 chimes or something to that effect
came with the destruction of Heppner.
It's had its fair share of upkeep, even if the fair share came
a fair shake late at times. More years ago than most can
remember, Cliff Aldrich of lone was hired by lone's Lion's
Club to do some work on the clock that included scraping and
painting and overall clean up.
Ray Hoyce. who was Lion's Club president then in lone,
said that Heppner people didn't exactly know what to think
when the lone Lions vowed that they were going to come over
"and clean their clock."
But the job got done.
Two motors move the six hands of the three faced
timepiece. One motor works to run the clock and the other
works the bell.
To gel lo the clock is no easy chore, even for Kverett
Kiethly . the clock's caretaker since 1972. Kiethly has to climb
three flights of ladders to gel to the clock and oil about every
30 days.
The first door into the tower starts next to the Justice of the
Peace's office. The closet there has a step ladder, built who
knows when. It leads to the attic of the courthouse. Through a
big door leads to the motors for this overgrown pocket watch.
Then, up another ladder, through a sliding door In the
ceiling to the belfry. A huge white bell with a large hammer
piece, hooked to one of the motors, sends sharp toll that
reportedly can be heard ten miles away on a clear night.
Then. H i over a railing and up another short ladder lo the
actual clock faces Inside that four sided room are the
remains of many old good limes and bad ones. too.
The bad ones are for the starlings and other birds that
Journeyed into the housing some way and never escaped Bui
the good ones are all the names that have been Inscribed and
written on Ihe Inside walls.
haling back to the early lx. many of the names will still
ring a bell, so lo speak, with locals In the area
Aldrich said he has a souvenir from his work In the lower
ln years ago He found a shingle lhal had been carved into a
knife with the name "Doc Sherer" inscribed on II K.ng any
bells with thai name?
Try these others: Bessie Dexter. May 14. I. Kllis K.
Williams. 19.17. Dutch I'lrtch. April 77. IM3. Kvefcn
M Fearln. September l, IMJ, J L Jenkins, June 14,
Margaret Doolittle, I9W. Karen Nelson. 9X. Bed Hicks.
Jut 14. IU. Hetty Lnvgren. IMO. Ceorge Peck, January .
1914 Bert Blratman. 1W. tactile McDuffy. IWI; F.arl
Bryant. 1941; Merle Leathers. Jack Howard. I9I. Brownelle
Pratt. iU. or Brian Wright. I9IJ
Some of Ihose name are significant. Ked Hicks, though
this writer rte nol know for sure, could have been related lo
nr evenTIIK A II llicka. who at one lime ran this newspaper.
J.ihn Jenkins was written aUml In Cites French's
JMieslrads ami Heritages About John Jenkins. French
wrote of a boy and a girl, about IS years old. who could have
been J L. Jenkins
Of rmirse. the lnvgren name Is still familiar and still living
In thee part So Is the Peck name and (Wwg peck w as one
of the county's father commissioners. George Bleakman was
also a commissioner and upon closer inspection of the old
graphite in the wood, Bert Bleatman could be Bert
Bleakman.
Lucille McDuffee was no doubt a relation to CD.
McDuffee. who in the early 190Cs made a name for himself by
shooting a would be train robber in La Grande and later
became a sheriff's deputy.
Speaking of sheriffs, reports say that Earl Bryant, one of
the signers in the tower, was in fact a county sheriff here a
few years back.
The names just add a little more to a growing history of a
great county and a great state.
As long as the graphite doesn't bother anyone and it
remains, it alone will be a lasting bit of history in Heppner.
The old courthouse clock is ticking still today. Let's hope it
continues to.
It s what you might call a 'timely' piece of Morrow County
history. And let's hope time won't tell when it stops.
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Time has forced Everett Klethley to
resign In January but the clock will
keep on working.
Story, photos
by Wil C. Phinnoy 1
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Ever wonder about the inside of a clock. Everett
Klethley knows what makes this one tick. He oils
it every 30 days.
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The machine's plaque
sayS made by Seth Thomas Clock Co.,
Thomaston, Conn. U. S. A. The date is
Nov. 20, 1902
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They fust don't make'em like they use to. A two part
machine works clock arms and bell.
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