Grandfather clock back
in Nanticoke
NANTICOKE — A 98-year-old Herschede grandfather clock has returned to its original home.
During an open house Saturday, members of the Nanticoke Historical Society displayed the grandfather clock that was originally in Nanticoke State Hospital.
The clock’s most recent home was Misericordia University. Donna Ayers Snelson, director of the Center for Nursing History for Northeastern Pennsylvania, donated it to the Nanticoke Historical Society.
The Nanticoke State Hospital started as a private institution in 1909, was taken over by the state in 1911 and became part of Mercy Health System in 1990.
Chester Zaremba, vice president of the Nanticoke Historical Society, said the clock later went to the nursing school at Misericordia.
Research from the Center for Nursing History of Northeastern Pennsylvania revealed the clock is worth approximately $3,000 to $5,000. The clock doesn’t work and needs repairs.
“Our intentions are to have it repaired,” Zaremba said. “We are going to definitely get it fixed.”
The clock is named in memory of Charles E. Jones, a businessman who formerly owned Jones Boston Store on East Main Street in Nanticoke, said Nanticoke Historical Archivist John Sherrick.
Sherrick said the clock is unique because of its age and the craftsmanship and artistry that went into making it.
“We’ve had a lot of people come and go and they look at that clock,” he said. “It’s just a beautiful clock. When you manage to have something like this that has lasted all this time, it’s just amazing that we have it.”
In addition to the grandfather clock, Sherrick showed a coal-burning kitchen stove that also drew interest at the open house Saturday.
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