08/29/2026
Do you realize that this American-made clock is approximately 260 years old? We recently sold and installed this Gawen Brown tall clock to a customer who lives just south of Hartford, CT. Its new owner was blown away by the opportunity to own a clock made before the American Revolution. And now, it will greet him as he walks in through the front door.
Gawen Brown, a prominent figure in Boston’s colonial era, was born in England in 1719 and died in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1801 at the age of 82. He emigrated to the American colonies before 1749, during a period when Boston was a thriving center of commerce and craftsmanship. On February 6, 1749, Brown advertised in The Boston Evening Post as a “...Clock and Watchmaker lately from London,” announcing his new shop at Mr. Johnson’s Japanner in Brattle Street, Boston, near Mr. Cooper’s Meeting House. This advertisement not only documents his arrival but also highlights the transatlantic connections that brought skilled artisans such as Brown to America.
Among Brown’s earliest public contributions was repairing the clock at the Old North Church, a historic landmark associated with the American Revolution. The church’s clock had remained silent for nearly thirty years until Brown was commissioned to convert its escapement from a balance to a long pendulum arrangement, which was considered an innovative improvement at the time. The restoration, completed before December 1749, demonstrated both Brown’s technical expertise and the increasing demand for precision timekeeping in colonial society.
If you love antique clocks, take a look at what we have on our website at www.delaneyantiqueclocks.com. You can also sign up for our bi-weekly newsletter while you’re there.
