High above Home Moravian Church there is abundant history represented by the clock and its bell. For more than 200 years, the tower clock has chimed on a bell the Moravians rang by hand for the first time in 1772.
Today as one walks the streets of Old Salem the sound of the clock and its bell is a historic sound. To maintain the sound the clock must be wound twice a day at 7 a.m. and about 3 p.m. It takes 49 turns to wind the time barrel and 200 turns to wind the striking barrel. This hand winding has not changed over the centuries.
Back in 1772 when the "hand rung" bell arrived in Salem a decision was made with reference to the frequency with which it would be struck. It was decided that the bell should be rung three times a day: at 7 a.m. to let workers know when to begin work; at 11:30 a.m. in advance of the noon hour dinner break; and close to sunset, not later than 7 p.m.
In 1787, the Moravians ordered a town clock from Germany. In 1800, the bell was raised to the belfry of Home Moravian Church where lives currently.
The Salem tower clock at Home Moravian is one of the earliest mechanical clocks in the United States still in existence in its original form
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