Does anybody really care?
The building in front of you originally opened in 1847 as the Indiana Reformatory South. After the building was damaged by a fire in 1919, the decision was made to move the reformatory and the property was sold to Colgate, later Colgate-Palmolive. Colgate no longer operates this as a factory, so today parts of the complex sit empty while other parts have been rented out as offices. At the top you will find the historical timepiece, the Colgate Clock.
The Colgate company was founded in 1806 as William Colgate & Company. The company originally sold soaps, starch, and candles. In 1873 they started producing a toothpaste in a jar. Their first toothpaste in a tube was produced in 1896. As Colgate-Palmolive they currently produce a number of different home and hygiene products.
This clock was originally built and located at the Colgate plant in New Jersey. Designed by Warren Day, a Colgate engineer, and constructed by the Seth Thomas Clock Company, it was built in celebration of Colgate’s centennial anniversary in 1906. The octagon shape was chosen because of the popularity of the company’s Octagon All Purpose Soap. The clock was moved to this Clarksville location in 1924, and was replaced by an even larger clock at the Jersey factory. The clock made its debut in Clarksville on November 17, 1924.
Despite being replaced by a larger model, this clock is impressive in its own right. As of September 2024 it is the 13th largest permanent clock face in the world, with a diameter of 38 feet. That’s over 15 feet larger than London’s Big Ben, which comes in at almost 23 feet in diameter. The hour hand weighs 500 pounds and is 16 feet long. The minute hand is 21 feet long and weighs in at 640 pounds. These massive hands are powered by a 1/80 horsepower motor. That’s the size of the motor in a sewing machine. The entire clock face is supported by an open steel structure. When lit, the bright red outlines are visible across the river and up to two miles away.
In 2008 the Colgate-Palmolive factory closed and moved their operations to Tennessee. Most of the complex sat empty, and the clock fell into disrepair. It was added to the Historic Landmarks of Indiana’s 10 Most Endangered Landmarks list in 2006, and an offer was made for the building to be put on the National Register of Historic Places, but Colgate refused. For several years the clock was unlit and unmaintained. Fortunately, a company occupying part of the building has repair and maintenance of the clock in their leasing agreement and the clock is once again a mostly-working timepiece. In September 2024 the time was incorrect, but it was brightly lit at night.
Even when it is not quite working correctly, it’s still a neat site to see, and a quirky area landmark!
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To log this cache send me a message or email (preferably email through my profile) with the answers to the following questions. You do not need to wait for a reply or acknowledgement from me.
- From the cache page: How many pounds does the hour hand weigh?
- What time is displayed on the clock at the time of your visit? Is it the correct time or not? Is there anything else you notice about the time or clock during your visit? (For example - during the cache’s creation in September 2024, the time was not only incorrect, but the clock appeared to be running backwards.)
- (Appreciated, but not required) In your log, include a photo of you, your “thumb’s up”, a signature object, etc, with the clock in the background.
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Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.
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Resources:
1: Colgate–Palmolive Factory | SAH ARCHIPEDIA (sah-archipedia.org)
2: Colgate Clock – Clarksville, Indiana - Atlas Obscura
3: Colgate Clock (Indiana) - Wikipedia
4: Colgate-Palmolive - Wikipedia
5: What's the history of the Colgate Clock and why is it up and running again? - Ask Caray (wlky.com)