A Brief History The Thompson Memorial clock was donated to the town in 1900 by D.S. Thompson, a successful optician and jeweler who made his business in Livermore Falls. Mr Thompson invented a revolutionary design for grinding lenses which enabled patients to get their eyeglasses very quickly (the first one-hour-eyeglass?)

The original clock which cost $1200, was housed in the Sharaf Building, designed by the well-known Lewiston architect, George Coombs. The Sharaf Building burned in a spectacular explosion and fire in 1910. The building and clock were a total loss. Apparently the Board of Trade had a fund raiser- much as we are doing today- to replace the clock, and the building was replaced with what is now known as the Bank Building.

The clock is a Seth Thomas Tower Clock. As the longest established clock maker in the United States (since 1813...nearly 200 years), Seth Thomas is recognized as one of the most respected brands of clocks in the world.

During its early years, Seth Thomas quickly gained an reputation for producing masterfully crafted grandfather clocks. Soon after, the company was also known for designing and producing some of the country's most renowned tower clocks, including the tower clock at Grand Central Station in New York.

Each week, Bank employees Nels Hawkin or Peter Sturtevant climb the ladders into the tower to wind the clock; a huge counterweight must be raised to the top of the tower by a hand crank. Inside the tower there is dust and cobwebs covering surfaces not touched in decades. The clock works themselves are showing their age, and several gears are on the verge of breaking. If we act now, we can ensure that this wonderful landmark keeps time into the next century! Please donate now!