Wrought iron chain of 0.75"-long oval links. One end of chain has large iron ring attached; nothing at other end.
Metal strip (42.1.1A) is unattached with unknown purpose. Dimensions are: 0.5" W 9.375" L and 1/16" Thick. Each end is slightly widened with two holes at each end.
Note attached to chain reads, "Wrought Iron Chain Pull for Door Bolt from building erected in 1756 in Lancaster, Pa"
Walnut side chair, wainscoat type, frame construction with pinned mortise and tenon joints. Shaped crest rail secured with one pin. Baluster-shaped center splat secured with a double pinned mortise and tenon joint and rests on rail above seat level; rail has molded lower edge. Rail at seat back is raisedabove seat level & has same molding as above rail. Plank seat (replaced) of two boards is pinned to chair rails. Bottom edges of all 4 chair rails have molded lower edge. Front legs are baluster-shaped; back legs are square, although they taper in thickness from seat level to top. Back legs also have a backcut front face from stretcher to floor, and curve back. Box stretchers have the same molding as rails above, but are molded on both upper and lower edges.
Probably Lancaster Boro
Provenance
Probably owned by Anthony Schneider (1725-1774) due to the belief that this chair was in his inventory after death. His 1774 Inventory lists a set of 4 walnut chairs. At his death he was living on the site of the Kirk Johnson Building on W. King Street. Anthony Schneider was the father of Gov. Simon Snyder(1759-1819) who was born in Lancaster Borough.
Chair descended through the Fisher and Mertz families. Chair believed to have been purchased by antiques dealer Dick Jones of Muncy, PA, at the "Fisher family sale" at the Isle of Que (section of Selinsgrove), circa mid-1960s. Purchased by restorer Peter Deen, who replaced the seat. Deen sold to Vonnie Haynes, a "minor dealer & major character in Adamstown" who sold it to Neil Kamil, then to museum. (See letter of 18 Apr 1991 from N. Kamil in file.)
Moderate wear overall. Front stretcher very worn. Previous chair owner and furniture conservator, Peter Deen, of Nottingham, PA, replaced seat. Metal corner braces & screws removed. Scratches on left chair rail.
Object ID
P.92.01
Notes
Patricia J. Keller states "a similar side chair is in a private collection outside Pittsburgh, PA, and another is in the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (#'28-10-99, see photo in file).
Peter Seibert notes this chair relates closely to the furniture made in rural northern England during the 1600s and 1700s. It combines elements of different styles, William & Mary and Queen Anne.
Gov. Simon Snyder (1759-1819) served three terms from Dec. 20, 1808 - Dec. 16, 1817 as the first of many Penna. German governors of Pennsylvania. After his election of 1808, he was reelected a few years later by a landslide.
Credit
Acquired through the generosity of the James Hale Steinman Foundation, Heritage Center Collection
A night commode chair that has a four-slat back crest with a Windsor arrow design at the lower back of the chair. The high back chair has turned legs, which are braced by ring-turned box stretchers. The seat has a hole cut out at its center with a separate wood lid with a wrought-iron handle fixed by two screws. The underside of the seat no longer has rabbets to support its zinc or lead chamberpot.
Windsor-back rocking chair. The comb-shaped crest has gold painted trim and hand-painted floral, fruit and nut designs. The slab seat also has a hand-painted gilt outline. The two front legs have gilded turnings along with the front stretcher. The two back legs are canted into the rockers and are plain and round with a thin round plain stretcher. Dark wood. Six thin back rails.
Eight-day, tall case clock by John George Hoff, Sr., in a flat-top Chippendale walnut case.
Brass dial has pewter chapter ring with Roman numerals for the hour and Arabic numerals for the seconds. Separate seconds dial below XII. Pewter spandrels. "George Hoff" engraved at bottom of dial, above a calendar window. Painted moon wheel at top has moon on a field of stars.
Bonnet has molded cornice, arched door and arched side windows. Engaged columns at all four corners. Waist has wide chambered corners with lambequins at top and bottom. Door has arched top and molded edges; brass escutcheon (replaced?); door is hung by two brass steeple butt hinges. Base has plain sides and chamfered corners that match those at waist. Molding above four ogee bracket feet.
J.J. Snyder notes that this clock case with wide chamfers relates to other pieces with the same feature, e.g. G.03.1.1 (Jenkins family bookcase on desk) and P.78.76 (Old family bonnet top high chest). The Hoff clock chamfers, however, are not fluted like the large case pieces.
See photo of clock in Wood and Kramer's clock book, p. 37.
Provenance
Professor Kauffman said on 4-23-99 that he purchased this clock from a dealer after Joe Kindig refused it because it was a flat top. A receipt (now in file) was tacked to inside of clock case documenting the purchase from collector/dealer Melvin Hubley of Lancaster City in 1955 (cost $545).
Modest wear, right side light is cracked, molding missing at right side of waist at bottom. Base is scarred, some cracks, especially aroung feet and moldiing. Unfilled nail repair holes at base.
Finish has orange peel surface.
Object ID
G.96.37.1
Place of Origin
Lancaster
Credit
Gift of Henry J. Kauffman, Heritage Center Collection
8-day musical clockworks by Mennonite Christian Eby (c.1768-1803) of Manheim. Housed in a large, inlaid cherry case attributed to Emanuel Dyer. Case is transitional from Chippendale to Federal, although strongly Federal due to inlay of eagle and floral motifs on tympanum, quarter fan inlays and another floral inlay on waist section, and a patera centered on the base within a cartouche of line inlay.
Notes: Weight, key, and various parts located in box on Unit 52, Bottom Shelf.
Hood has side lights, fluted colonettes at sides, swan's neck scrolls terminating in inlaid paterae, three ball and spire finials (spire missing on center finial). Waist and base have fluted quarter columns. French bracket feet.
White-painted iron dial w/ Roman numerals on chapter ring. Seconds use Arabic numerals. Floral spandrels, lunar dial and inscription "C EBY Manheim under XII. Above lunar dial are ten names of tunes played by the musical works. Dial attributed to Reading area due to a dark moon wheel and the 2 hemispheres for the moon phase are identical (per Gary Sullivan). He also notes that brass-clad weights are very unusual, and usually an English practice.
Provenance
Ex Renner (per Gary Sullivan, clock dealer). Later from estate sale of Pauline Heilman of York, PA by Sotheby's July 17, 1982. The buyer, a private client of Citibank, put clock in storage in Florida, then consigned it Christie's where HCLC purchased Jan. 1992.
John and Carol Pyfer paid $800 for Quentin Johnson to repair the clockworks and get it running in 2004. Clock hands have losses (pieces in a box stored in clock bottom), repaired by Johnson. Case refinished (see early photos in file). Scratch on side to left of pendulum door; nicks & scratches at left side vertical member of opening to pendulum. Marred overall. Split at left side of front section of molding under hood. Pieces of string inlay replaced. Proper left back foot loose; proper left front column loose. See Gary Sullivan condition report (loan to Willard House)
Object ID
P.92.02
Notes
Made by Christian Eby (c.1768-1803), working 1792-1803. Case attributed to Emanuel Deyer.
J.J. Snyder notes, "The clock is significant because it is the only known Lancaster Co. eagle-inlaid clock with a musical movement. Musical movements predating 1840 are quite rare, and fewer than eight Lancaster Co. musical clocks prior to 1840 are known to survive. The inlay is unique in the placement of the eagle in the center of the pediment rather than in an oval medallion above the pendulum door and in the use of floral inlay in addition to the eagle. In summary, the Christian Eby clock is a masterpiece of not only regional but also national importance."
Snyder also states "Unquestionably, this is one of the most elegant and sophisticated pieces of Lancaster County Federal furniture now known." He adds "Of all the known Lancaster County eagle-inlaid clock cases, this one alone has floral inlays. In view of the fact that this case must predate Christian Eby's death in 1803, it stands as the earliest known use of the eagle as a patriotic device in Lancaster County furniture."
Snyder also suggests Manheim cabinetmaker Emanuel Dyer (1760-1836) as the probable casemaker. Working for about a half century starting in the early 1780s, Dyer was the leading Manheim cabinetmaker.
Place of Origin
Manheim
Credit
Gift of members and friends of the Heritage Center, Heritage Center Collection
Eight-day tall case clock signed by Daniel Forrer of Lampeter and dated 1814. Clockworks housed in a c. 1760s walnut sarcophagus top case by unknown maker.
Clock has 12" solid brass arched dial, matted dial-plate center, pewter chapter ring and cast brass spandrels. Above center arbor is seconds chapter ring of pewter and below arbor is calendar window. Engraved pewter medallion in arch reads "Daniel Forrer/ Lampeter." Above calendar window is a small plate engraved "1814." (Dial is very similar to one by brother Christian Forrer pictured on page 97 of "Clockmakers of Lancaster Co...").
Sarcophagus bonnet top has 3 urn finials on plinths (corner plinths are plain; center one is fluted). Thin crestboards extend to sides of central finial. Bonnet has 3/4 colonnettes in front and 1/4 in back, all plain & tapered. Arched sidelights.
Body of case is pegged construction w/ front having mitered half-lap joinery at top & through-tenon joints at bottom. Front corners are stop-chamfered between joinery. Tombstone pendulum door (replaced). Cove molding leads to plain base section with chamfered corners. Feet and base moldings replaced (see condition notes). Now rests on reeded board base only.
1814 date plate likely mounted on dial when the Sheraton style details (reeded base, turned feet, urn finials) were added. Changes were evidently prompted by moisture & worm deterioration of original feet & base moldings.
Clock has winding key and door key (in clock key box). See NOTES.
Clockmakers of Lancaster County and Their Clocks by S.B.C. Wood, Jr., S. Kramer, & J.J. Snyder, 1977, pp. 19, 97.
Mennonite Arts by Clarke Hess, 2002, p. 80 (nearly identical Christian Forrer dial).
Photocopies of Warfel documents & previous contacts (in file). MESDA has photo of a c.1770 clock w/ "D.Forrer/ FrdkTown."
Height (cm)
238.76
Height (ft)
7.8333333333
Height (in)
94
Width (cm)
53.975
Width (ft)
1.7708333333
Width (in)
21.25
Depth (cm)
30.48
Depth (ft)
1
Depth (in)
12
Condition
Good
Condition Date
2017-06-19
Condition Notes
Case refinished & restored with Sheraton feet, reeded base molding & urn finials. Pendulum door & hardware are replaced. Bonnet door loose from "hinge" column at top (nail failing). Multiple gouges, chips & scratches. Heavy loss at left front corner of bonnet cornice. Pieced-out repair at back edge of left side of waist. Backboard at bottom shows significant rot & worm damage, explaining the replaced base that now is reeded-edge boards to which turned Sheraton feet were nailed (now removed). On seatboard of works is old sticker of Joseph R. Bates, clock restoration in Vermont. In 1968, he performed "complete restoration & overhaul including extensive repairs" to clockworks & resilvering of dial.
Object ID
G.08.16.1
Notes
Swiss-born brothers Daniel & Christian Forrer both apprenticed w/ same clockmaker in the Jura region of Switz., following their father's death, then emigrated to America with their sister in 1754, settling in Lampeter where they each made clocks. It is claimed there were clocks jointly signed "C & D Forrer", denoting a partnership. Clarke Hess notes that Daniel sold his Lampeter Twp. lands to his brother in 1762 at which time he likely moved to Frederick, Maryland.
Ed LaFond believes there may be about a dozen clocks by Christian but only two clocks by Daniel were previously known, both privately owned and one signed Fredericktown. Ed believes Forrer eventually ended up in Virginia.
