Welcome to the Clock Tower

Iron County Historical Museum
303 Iron Street
Hurley, Wisconsin 54534
715/561-2244

Museum Hours
Open year-round: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays & Saturdays
except holidays
Admission is Free
Bus Tours: $25

The first clock was installed when the building was constructed in 1893. Lightening struck the tower in 1922, causing a fire that destroyed the original works. That same year, new clockworks were installed on the second floor of the tower. That same Seth-Thomas time piece continues to drive the clock to this day.

The 1922 installation added a modern convenience: electricity. While a pendulum continues to drive the mechanics of the clock, the weights that drive the pendulum and the bell are lifted by electronic motors. The bell sounds out each hour, and has a single ring on the half hour. A cable runs three stories upward from the clock works to a suspension hammer (seen to the right of the bell in the picture) that clangs against the outer portion of the bell. Additionally, a rod runs four stories upward to a central gear mechanism that operates the four faces of the clock.