Frank Herschede

Franklin "Frank" Herschede was born on July 30, 1857 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In 1873, at the age of 16, he began working as an apprentice watch and clock repairman for Charles Cook.

In 1877, he went into business for himself and moved to Vine and 5th Street in Cincinnati. He diversified into jewelry, watches, diamonds, etc., and in 1885, the store moved to larger quarters at the corner of Arcade and Vine.

In 1885, noting the success of Walter H. Durfee, Herschede began importing movements and having cases made in a nearby cabinet shop on Front Street in Cincinnati, Ohio. Frank’s clock business expanded to the point that he purchased the cabinet shop in 1900.

Herschede Mansion, Cincinatti

In 1901, Frank exhibited in the South Carolina and West Indian Exposition at Charleston, South Carolina, where he received a gold medal for his hall clocks. This was the first of several medals earned by the firm.

Frank's son, Walter, graduated from high school in 1902, and began work in the cabinet shop. On December 29, 1902 the Herschede Hall Clock Company was incorporated. In that same year, Herschede began to produce his own tubes and install them in his clocks.

In 1903 the Herschede Hall Clock Company factory moved from Front Street to 1011-1015 Plum Street.

In 1904 the Herschede Hall Clock Company won several medals in the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis in 1904: a gold medal for the best hall clock, a gold medal for the best hall clock cases, and a silver medal for tubular chimes.

In 1909, the Herschede Hall Clock Company leased the building next door at 1007-1009 Plum Street to manufacture clock movements. The first movement passed final inspection on January 10, 1911. In 1913, a third melody, “Canterbury Chimes” was added to the Whittington and Westminster chimes. The tune was composed by Charles Eisen, "a gifted American pianist," especially for Herschede. (If you have a Herschede clock with this tune and are a musician, we'd appreciate having the tune so we can add it to our clock chime tunes page in this reference library... contact us and let's talk about how to make this happen... thanks in advance. We'd also like to have a digital recording of this tune.)

At the Panama-Pacific International Exposition the firm won two additional major awards: grand prize was presented to the Herschede Hall Clock Company for chime hall clocks and mantel clocks, and a gold medal was awarded for the hall clock cabinets manufactured by the company.

NOTE: Interestingly, for purely marketing purposes, the firm continued to use this "grand prize" plaque in clocks manufactured subsequent to the exposition, so it is important to know that, just because a clock you own or are considering purchasing has this plate present, it is not likely it was the exact clock that was judged at the exposition and awarded the prize.

By the early 1920's the Herschede Hall Clock Company had opened branch sales offices in New York City, then in Chicago and San Francisco. Frank Herschede died on September 15, 1922, and Walter was named president in January of 1923.

In 1925, Walter began to work with Mr. Warren to develop electric movement chime clocks. By April of 1926, the Revere Clock Company came into being.

By 1927 the Herschede Hall Clock Company had added a pair of smaller lines of clocks, including a “grandmother” clock (about 6’ in height) and a “petite” clock (generally under 7’ in height). These were produced in the same styles as the larger hall clocks.

By 1929 the Herschede Hall Clock Company had some 300 employees, but the Great Depression caused a significant reduction in demand for hall clocks (and just about everything else except jobs)!

By 1933 the Herschede Hall Clock Company changed its primary focus on the lower end, introducing an inexpensive line of electric clocks called “Crown Clocks”.

On February 4, 1934, Walter's son, Richard Herschede, began working fulltime with his father.

The Herschede Hall Clock Company ceased clockmaking during WWII, focusing its manufacturing expertise on observational instruments and optical components for the military. Subsequent to the war, clockmaking resumed, but never regained its pre-war momentum. Eventually, the firm branched out into, of all things, the manufacture of parking meters!

In 1952 the Herschede Hall Clock Company began using imported Junghans movements in its non-tubular bell clocks.

Then, in 1959, in the midst of extreme economic difficulties, the North Mississippi Industrial Development Association lured the Herschede Hall Clock Company to move its plant  to Starkville, Mississippi, with the new factory opening in May of 1960.

In 1973, the Herschede Hall Clock Company merged with Howard Furniture and Briarwood Lamps to become Arnold Industries, Inc.

On September 23, 1983, Herschede announced a plan to restructure the Herschede Hall Clock division from a manufacturer of the finished clocks to a supplier of quality tubular bell movements to the industry.

The firm briefly resumed production of clocks in 1989, making approximately 20 clocks between that year and 1992 under the ownership of Howard W. Klein and Robert Eggering of St. Louis, MO. The firm was then sold to R&M Imports of Waynesville, OH, which manufacturers replacement parts for existing Herschede clocks.

Herschede Corporate Promotional Video

Herschede Model 250 “The Clock”

Determining the Age of Your Herschede Clock
By Movement Serial Number

Movements in Herschede Hall Clock Company clocks prior to 1911 were imported or made by other U.S. clockmaking firms such as Seth Thomas. Unfortunately, we do not have any serial number information for Herschede clocks manufactured after 1968, and we understand this information may not exist. The following table contains the recorded years and associated serial-number ranges.

You will find the serial number on the back of your Herschede Hall Clock movement. Often it is difficult to see, even when there are side doors. We suggest using a flashlight and a small mirror.