Colonial Manufacturing Company

© 2014 National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc. Reproduction prohibited without written permission. Colonial Manufacturing Company Ze...
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© 2014 National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc. Reproduction prohibited without written permission.

Colonial Manufacturing Company Zeeland, MI by Andrew H. Dervan, FNAWCC (MI) Figure 1. Company sign with its logo, Colonial of Zeeland.

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uring the mid-1840s settlers began moving into western Michigan because they were attracted to its largely untouched virgin forest. Netherlands immigrants founded a series of towns west of the current city of Grand Rapids, and the area still maintains its Dutch heritage. The site of the original village that is now the location of Zeeland, MI, was 16,000 acres (65 km²) of land occupied by the Odawa people. Settlers named this location after the province of Zeeland, their former home in The Netherlands.1 Furniture manufacturing became a popular industry in this region. By the end of the nineteenth century Grand Rapids was known as the “Furniture Capital” of the country, with many companies manufacturing a wide variety of furniture and household items. In addition, many clockmaking companies formed over the years: Colonial Manufacturing Co., Herman Miller Clock Co., Trend Clock Co., and later Trend/Sligh Clock Co., Howard Miller Clock Co., and H. L. Hubbell all in the small city of Zeeland, and Grand Rapids Clock and Mantel Co. in Grand Rapids. In the twentieth century Zeeland became a clockmanufacturing center that rivaled the region around Bristol, CT. A number of the furniture companies in Grand Rapids also manufactured grandfather clocks. This article focuses on the Colonial Manufacturing Co. in Zeeland.

Company History The predecessor to Colonial Manufacturing Company in Zeeland was started in 1899 by John Spyker, who was a talented local woodworker and cabinetmaker; his factory was located on the south side of South St. (now Lincoln Ave.). He gained some local attention with his limited line of grandfather clocks, but he lacked sufficient financial backing to continue

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the business. Spyker had approached Christian J. Den Herder, president of Zeeland State Bank, several times for loans to sustain the company. Finally, five prominent Zeeland businessmen (Christian J. Den Herder, Albert LaHuis, Dr. Thomas G. Huizenga, Henry De Kruif, and John Veneklasen) contributed $10,000. John Spyker and the five Zeeland businessmen presented the signed Colonial Manu-

Figure 2. Model No. 1211 in a magnificent mahogany case, with John Staal, left, and Henry Kouw, right, from the Zeeland Record, ca. 1915. COURTESY OF RACHAEL KOLLEN.

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Figure 5. Christian J. (Chris) Den Herder, longtime employee, officer, and president, ca. 1976.

Figure 3, left. Christian J. Den Herder, original founder, ca. 1935. COURTESY OF CHRIS DEN HERDER (3) Figure 4, center. Harmon Den Herder, longtime employee, manager, and president, ca. 1978. facturing Company Articles of Association on January 10, 1906, before the Kent County clerk. The company continued having financial problems, and investors realized that Spyker was not as good a businessman as a cabinetmaker. They invested another $10,000 and bought out Spyker’s 50 percent share of the company, and in 1909 they hired Herman Miller as the new manager, and John Kemp as designer; they both came from the Royal Furniture Company in Grand Rapids. Herman Miller managed the day-to-day factory operations and the company prospered. Initially, the company manufactured grandfather clocks; later it added furniture. Over time manufacturing of its clock and furniture offerings increased.2, 3 In 1911, the Grand Rapids Evening Press published an informative article on Colonial. It noted that Spyker took three years to gather designs and develop a clock production system. His capital was limited, which prevented him from hiring skilled workers needed to produce highquality clocks that would compare well over other companies. The Zeeland investors provided the necessary capital to get the company going; a modern brick factory was constructed and equipped with engine power three times that in the original factory. Skilled cabinetmakers were hired and in two years the plant’s capacity was doubled. Ninety-five percent of lumber used for the clock cases was mahogany, and much of it incorpowww.nawcc.org

rated grain and crotch patterns into its case designs. Many case designs were copied from 100-plus-year-old designs but were modified to be compatible with modern furniture and decorations. Hall clocks were shipped all over the world.4 During World War I, Colonial was unable to obtain high-quality German clock movements, so they used American and English movements, even though the company believed these movements were not as good. Herman Miller introduced a line of library furniture to go along with the clocks. Partial 1913-1917 company sales records were located; clock sales climbed from $123,203 to $174,908 (43 percent increase), and furniture sales climbed from $31,558 to $111,894 (350 percent increase), which supported the Grand Rapid Evening Press article’s statement about introducing more furniture production because of movement shortages during the war.5 The company’s factory was viewed as one of the most modern and efficient furniture-manufacturing plants for making clock cases in the United States. It was not a large operation, but it purchased the entire output from one German movement maker’s factory. In 1927 Herman Miller hired Hanns Winterhalder from Germany as hall clock movement assembly supervisor for Colonial and mantel clock movement supervisor for Herman Miller Clock Co. and modifying selected movements for exclusive use in cer-

tain Colonial models. Winderhalder was proprietor of his factory in Germany; the Winterhalder family had been developing and manufacturing clock movements for over 200 years.6 After signing the agreement with Herman Miller to purchase his company’s movements and technical expertise, it is unclear how much time Hanns Winterhalder actually spent in Zeeland working in the factory.8 In 1927 his brother, Anton (Tony) Winterhalder, immigrated to the United States and spent many years working at Colonial and was actively involved in the Zeeland community.7 Herman Miller was vice-president and general manager until 1935 when he retired. Three generations of the Den Herder family were involved with the company: Christian J. Den Herder was one of the initial founders and served as treasurer and president (Figure 3). His son, Harmon Den Herder (Figure 4), joined the company in 1920 shortly after returning from World War I and succeeded Herman Miller as manager and later became president. Harmon ran the company until 1962 when his son, Christian (Chris) J. Den Herder (Figure 5), who joined the company in 1949 after serving in World War II, became president. Matthew Rothert succeeded Chris as the general manager in 1980. The company held annual meetings and elected new officers and board of directors; Corey Poest, longtime company secretary and treasurer, submitted meeting notifications

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to the Zeeland Record. The company generally sponsored an annual employee and family summer picnic or winter dinner; employee service awards were given out at these gatherings and also there were clock raffles. It was not unusual for employees to spend their whole working career of 35-50 years at Colonial. In 1956 the company held a 50-year anniversary party. When a factory employee got married, he or she was presented with a wall barometer set (Figure 6). The factory workforce slowly increased and production increased: 85-130 workers during 1920s to almost 150 workers at the Zeeland plant in the mid-1970s.9 Bonnie Schuitema won three clocks over the years at company parties. She gave her parents a grandfather clock and requested the finishers skip the antique distressed finish. Another clock was Figure 6. Wall barometer given to employees as a wedding present. COURTESY OF TERRY CASEY.

an oak regulator; she did not want the standard brass dial, so the shop created a wood dial for her—a oneof-a-kind clock. It was not unusual for a clock to be customized for an employee; it paid to be good friends with the finishers! If you find a Colonial clock that is either an unusual model or has an unusual finish, dial, or movement, it was probably something done special in the factory for an employee or was a prototype that was not put into production. For many years Colonial maintained a showroom in the Keeler Building and later the Waters Building in Grand Rapids, the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, and in High Point, NC, with permanent displays of its clocks and furniture. The company also purchased full-page advertisements monthly in Good Furnishing magazine, an important furniture trade journal published in Grand Rapids. The company had salesmen who covered particular areas and held periodical sales meetings (Figure 7); later in this article I discuss further clock sales and marketing. Company representatives attended furniture trade shows and set up displays (Figure 8). 1n 1952 the company introduced a line of decorative French and Italian Provincial furniture and clocks; these lines were not particularly profitable. In 1959 the company officers reviewed its furniture-making busi-

ness and called in its accounting firm Seidman & Seidman, which concluded the furniture-manufacturing business had a much lower profit margin than clockmaking, so the company decided to eliminate furniture manufacturing and concentrate on manufacturing only clocks. It took the company a few years to make the transition from manufacturing both furniture and clocks to just clocks.10, 11 In 1968 the company had an opportunity to acquire Trend Clock Co., founded by a former Colonial employee, Gerrit Van Tamelen, for a modest sum; Colonial’s board rejected the offer to purchase Trend. Shortly afterward, Sligh Furniture Co. purchased Trend and continued manufacturing clocks under the Trend name and increased its product line to high-end grandfather clocks, competing head-to-head with Colonial. This short-sighted decision by the Colonial board may have been a major mistake and potential cause for the company’s failure in the mid1980s by allowing a significant competitor into the market.12 In 1972 the company purchased Bodart Furniture Inc. and began producing clocks in Grand Rapids in sections of the former six-story Berkey & Gay Co. factory; it was cumbersome moving the material and cases around the old factory. However, Bodart had highly skilled furniture

Figure 7, left. Company officers and salesmen mid-1950s. COURTESY OF CHRIS DEN HERDER. Figure 8, right. Jim List and Judy De Young standing beside a Colonial Clock display at the National Housewares Manufacturers Association (NHMA) 1982 Housewares Exposition. COURTESY OF JIM LIST AND THE SEPTEMBER 1982 ISSUE WATCH & CLOCK REVIEW.

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Figure 9. TI Topics from July 1982.

finishers who helped enhance Colonial’s clock case finish quality.13 In 1974 Mae Coith, daughter of Albert LaHuis (an original investor) passed away, and her estate attorneys pressed the board of directors to liquidate her shares of company stock. Because there was no one willing to purchase her shares, the company was sold to Thomas Industries from Louisville, KY, for $15 per share. After Colonial’s acquisition by Thomas Industries, it marketed its clocks very aggressively through both high-end retailers and its own Thomas Lighting Centers. It coupled the Colonial products with its line of Harris & Mallow wall clocks and quartz table clocks at its stores.14-16 Thomas Industries was a conglomerate with many different businesses, and it published a monthly newsletter, TI Topics, that included notes from its various subsidiaries on employees and their activities; the July 1982 issue highlighted three Colonial employees: Gary Hassevoort, Dave Carpenter, and Lane Sterenberg (Figure 9). Colonial published a Colonial dealer newsletter called The Clockworks, which highlighted attractive dealer clock arrangements, new models, factory activities, president’s notes, adjustment and setup tips, new dealers, and notifications for special deals. The 1970s were a boom period for grandfather clock manufacturing and www.nawcc.org

sales; Colonial sales were $2.9 million in 1972, $4.25 million in 1973, $6.25 million in 1974, and $11.1 million in 1979. Thomas Industries perceived Colonial as a good investment.17, 18 In 1976 the company also introduced a line of wall and mantel clocks commemorating the nation’s Bicentennial. In 1977 the company acquired the Molyneux Company of Burlingame, CA, which sold a limited line of clocks but had a potentially useful dial patent, one good grandfather clock, and a good sales representative. The machinery and existing stock were sold, and clock production was moved to Zeeland. A Molyneux clock line was developed and was marketed as a “premium” clock and quickly became highly profitable, because the Molyneux clocks had a different look than standard Colonial clocks; the distinctive Molyneux dial had a blue moon disk with gold stars, Roman numerals, and raised corner ornaments. In May 1980 Colonial opened a new 110,000 sq. ft. plant in Kentwood, a Grand Rapids suburb, because it had outgrown the Zeeland factory. In July 1981 the company began moving all production to Kentwood and shutting down the Zeeland factory. In 1983 the closed Zeeland plant was sold to the Sligh Clock Company.19-22 The company’s atmosphere changed after its purchase by Thom-

as Industries; the pressure increased dramatically to produce clocks and profits. Some of the later Thomas Industries corporate officers micromanaged the operations, although they knew nothing about clock manufacturing or marketing. There was more shuffling in and out of production management personnel; sometimes skilled people were released, and as production issues increased, they were rehired. Experienced Colonial executives left one by one because of the policy changes and restrictions (capital spending for the factory and equipment and clock production limitations) imposed by Thomas Industries officers.23 The move to the Kentwood plant did not go smoothly, because many Zeeland employees did not want to commute to Grand Rapids; in addition, the plant experienced a variety of labor issues, and the plant became unionized by the Teamsters. Unfortunately, competition increased during the 1980s, driving down clock prices; combined with continuing labor problems, the company lost money for several years. In 1985 Thomas Industries closed the Kentwood factory and sold the inventory of unfinished materials: movements, cases, and dials to S. LaRose Co. in Greensboro, NC, ending Colonial Manufacturing Co.24-26

The Colonial Factory in Zeeland The Zeeland factory was located at the intersection of W. Washington Street and N. Colonial Street. For many years its official address was 103 N. Colonial Street, and now the former factory building’s address is 201 W. Washington Street. The company used a temporary wooden building for clock production while the factory building was under construction. An early factory configuration (postcard ca. 1912) indicated that it was a two-story rectangular brick building approximately 35,000 sq. ft. (see Figure 10). The 1914/1915 catalog contained an idealized image with

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Figure 10. Postcard, ca. 1912, of early factory configuration. COURTESY OF MATTHEW ROTHERT.

Figure 11. Postcard of enlarged sign “Colonial Manufacturing Co. World’s Largest Makers of Hall Clocks.” COURTESY OF MATTHEW ROTHERT.

Figure 12, above. Colonial employees posing for photograph September 1, 1926. COURTESY OF MATHEW ROTHERT.

Figure 13, left. Second story bridge between the buildings. PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN MARCH 2012 BY AUTHOR.

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an extension on the east end of the building. A later image (Figure 11) shows the final factory with all its additions. Proudly painted on the factory’s west wall in white letters on a black background was the company’s claim to fame, “COLONIAL MANUFACTURING CO. WORLD’S LARGEST MAKERS OF HALL CLOCKS.” In Figure 12 employees pose for the photograph with the building sign in the background. The author counted 132 employees in this photograph, taken September 1, 1926. The factory went through a series of expansions in 1916, 1919, 1925, and 1926, including the construction of a separate building across Colonial St. and a second story bridge connecting the buildings (Figure 13). Using the second-story bridge, employees moved the completed clock cases into the western building for installation of all the hardware and preparation for shipping (see Figure 13). By 1926 the factory was approximately 120,000 sq. ft. These additions provided the necessary factory space for increasing clock and furniture production.27-30

Across the street from the Colonial factory was a casket-manufacturing operation, and former employee Mary Van Vels mentioned a banner that was hung across Washington St. between the factories: “You are now crossing between Time and Eternity”; it still remained a company joke even after the banner was removed. Bonnie Schuitema mentioned another company joke; LeBarge Mirror rented out a section of the west building to www.nawcc.org

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assemble mirrors finished in the factory, and employees referred to it as the corner of “Reflections, Time and Eternity.”31, 32 After Colonial vacated the factory in 1983, Sligh Furniture Co. purchased it and did extensive modifications in 1984. They petitioned the City of Zeeland to close Colonial St. between Washington St. and the railroad tracks. The two buildings were connected, and sections of the building were covered with foam insulation. In 2004 the building was purchased by Innotec and has undergone extensive renovation externally. All the foam insulation was removed, new windows were installed, and various internal modifications were made for manufacturing, office space, and lofts (see Figure 14).

Case Making and Finishing Processes The 1974 Woodworking & Furniture Digest proclaimed Zeeland, MI, as the tall clock capital of United States, manufacturing 70 percent of American grandfather clocks there. Colonial was the largest of the three clock-manufacturing companies in Zeeland and accounted for 30 percent of nationwide production. This Woodworking & Furniture Digest article offered a good snapshot of Colonial’s clock case-manufacturing process.33 Wood originally arrived by railroad because tracks were right behind the factory; later, it arrived by truck. Wood was rough cut, planed, and sized for cases. Normally, the model number was marked on the outside of the case, which helped the movement department to know which movement was to be installed and the shipping department to recognize what model number to write on the box or crate. Colonial used a mixture of semiskilled and skilled handcrafting techniques in machining, assembly, and finishing to provide its clocks the individual quality desired for antique reproductions. Rough mill and machine room operations were fairly conventional. Colonial did have some specialized machines www.nawcc.org

Figure 14. Current appearance of Zeeland factory. PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN MARCH 2012 BY AUTHOR.

(e.g., a Bell 424, a machine for double mitering and boring from the NashBell-Challenger Division of Medalist Industries). This saved significant labor cost, because it could make miter cuts and drill dowel holes in each miter cut. Colonial also had a Master Carver, a 12-spindle carving machine, with which employees could do the rough cutting on intricately figured top pediments, figurines, and carved columns, which was followed by finishing on a single-spindle carver. These decorative turned components (finials, pediments, moldings, and rosettes), along with specialized wood inserts (inlays, overlays, and burls), provided the grandfather clocks greater selling appeal. Jim List, a former Colonial salesman, mentioned that when he arrived for a job interview in 1972 he was surprised as he watched trucks drop stacks of lumber on Colonial Street; employees manually carried each board to a basement window and handed it to another employee in the basement who took the board and stacked it.34 Chris Den Herder and Terry Mervau described the clock case production flow in the Zeeland factory. In its early years Colonial dried its incoming lumber in the kilns located outside the building; later, lumber was purchased already kiln-dried. During the 1970s when production was in high gear Colonial typically had 100,000 board feet of lumber inventory in the factory. It purchased a variety of woods (mahogany, walnut, maple, rosewood, and oak) in thicknesses ranging from 4 to 8 quarter, depending on production requirements. It also purchased a variety of

veneers and prescreened veneer lots to ensure they had proper color and appearance. The incoming lumber was stored in the basement under the main factory building’s left wing; lumber was moved into the central section where it went through the rough mill processes (cutters, planers, and joiners). If it required any veneer work, this was done in the basement’s right wing; otherwise, it was immediately moved by elevator to the first floor when it went through a second machine room (bore and/or miter and miscellaneous cutting) and cabinet assembly. Company offices were located in the western corner of the first floor in the main building.35, 36 The assembled cases were moved by elevator to the second floor; it was normal practice to build about 100 cases of each style and store most of them in the back of the northeast wing and only finish three to five at a time. The factory term was “Finish to Order.” The finishing process started in the front of the right wing: sanding booth, spray stain and sealer application booths; in the central section was filler application for mahogany cases and wiping; in the left wing were glazing and final lacquer applications and hand rubbing. Cases were moved into the western building through the second floor bridge for final assembly, referred to as “trimming” (installing glasses, hardware, movement, and dial), and followed by final inspection; they were moved downstairs (first floor) for packaging in preparation for shipping. Sales and service offices also were located on the first floor. At its peak production Colonial was manufacturing thousands of clocks a year. It was very im-

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portant to keep saw blades sharp to maintain the necessary production rate and minimize any cutting defects. The company had several sets of saw blades for each operation, so one set was always out for sharpening (see Figures 15-18). Randy Assink, former shipping foreman at the Zeeland plant, commented that Colonial had multiplesize wooden cartons and specialized padding and packing for the various size clocks to ensure each clock was securely held in its box during shipment. The company typically shipped out 100-150 clocks per day five days a week and sometimes on Saturday. The company used many different carriers, who would back up their trucks into the Colonial shipping well and

load the clocks into them. Colonial had a van for local clock deliveries.37 Because Colonial experienced significant sales growth during the 1970s, its clock production outgrew the Zeeland factory and necessitated acquiring larger production space. The company was forced to examine properties outside of Zeeland, because there was no property available with city water and sewer, which were very important for its operations. It first rented a portion of the former Berkey & Gay Co. factory in Grand Rapids. In the late 1970s the company had approximately 135 employees at the Zeeland plant and 100 employees at the Berkey & Gay Co. factory. The Zeeland plant manufactured all the ornate finish and veneer cases, whereas the Grand Rapids plant built simpler case designs. In 1980 the company began construction

Figure 15. Hand finishing cases in early twentieth century. COURTESY OF MATTHEW ROTHERT.

Figure 16. Hand painting cases from undated Colonial catalog, ca. 1960s.

Figure 17. Case preparation from 1976 Thomas Industries Annual Report COURTESY OF HOWARD MILLER PUBLIC LIBRARY, ZEELAND, MI.

Figure 18. Movement installation and adjustment from undated Colonial catalog, ca. 1960s.

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of the new factory in Kentwood, a Grand Rapids suburb. In 1981 Ray Kroft, Colonial trim foreman, commented to David Saunders, Holland Sentinel reporter, that the Zeeland plant was a craft-oriented shop. “We work with expensive cases; the ones that can’t be built on an assembly line. ... They require lots of personal skill. We do the Henry Ford pieces here because of the detail. I don’t care how hard it is to build; we can do it here. ... Each clock has its own personality here because of the worker. There is more individuality.”38 In 1983 a Watch & Clock Review correspondent toured the newly opened Kentwood factory and offered some insight to the new factory’s manufacturing process.39 The work flow ran from south to north and a variety of woods (cherry, ash, mahogany, oak, maple, and black walnut) were used. Wood came in the south end of the plant where it was stored until an order to be released for production based on sales forecasts. Production generally planned 100-500 runs of individual models, and there were between 10 and 15 models in production at a given time. Wood was cut to proper length, planed, and cut to appropriate shape; it moved to the machining area where it was bored, miter cut, or given other necessary cuts. Each piece was sanded before assembling into cases; afterward, all edges were checked for any nicks before the finishing process. The Kentwood factory was potentially a more efficient manufacturing layout than the older Zeeland factory, because all manufacturing processes were located on one level. The simplest case finish involved eight different steps, while the most complicated finish required 16 steps. The first step was stain application, followed by wet seal coat that raised the veneer grain, and an hour sealer sanding. This was followed by a second sealer coat and second sanding. A spray-applied glaze coat went on next and received about an hour of brushing and hand wiping. Most of the simpler finishes incorporated one www.nawcc.org

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glaze coat; more complicated finishes then received one to three additional glaze coats to heighten the antique appearance and bring out the wood graining. Colonial strived to achieve an antique look with finishes that created a “distressed” appearance by either physical or finishing processes. After the final glaze coat had dried for approximately 12 hours, two coats of lacquer were applied with two or three hours drying time between coats. The final finishing step was hand rubbing. The clock case-manufacturing process was highly mechanized; however, case finishing was a laborious and time-consuming process that involved many individual operators and hand operations (sanding, brushing, wiping, and rubbing) to achieve the final desired finish. Incoming clock movements were inspected for any defects, and to ensure they would mate properly with dials, they were bench-tested by running one hour to identify any initial problems and then allowed to run overnight without the pendulum to complete a week’s cycle to ensure all the functions worked properly. After the movements and dials were installed, the completed clocks were run overnight to make sure everything was working before being prepared for shipment.

Clock Styles and Movement Offerings For many years Colonial employed designers for their furniture, and they occasionally did clock case designs. After the furniture manufacturing was discontinued in 1959, the furniture designers left the company. Many of Colonial clock designs had not changed in many years and were outdated. In 1962 Terry Mervau was hired from the Kendall School of Design in Grand Rapids, and he worked with Chris Den Herder, president, to develop 6 to 12 new designs per year. By the early 1970s Colonial’s clock line had been completely updated. In the late 1960s the company worked with the Henry Ford Museum to inwww.nawcc.org

troduce more models to Colonial’s Most of the early Colonial dials Henry Ford Collection and took pro- were imported from Germany. When totype clocks to Dearborn for Henry tariffs increased on dials, the compaFord curators to examine and ap- ny encouraged an individual in Holprove before putting them into pro- land, MI, to manufacture dials for it, duction. Terry Mervau commented and Colonial purchased a portion that he followed the changes in fur- of its dials from him for a number niture designs from trade publica- of years; however, their quality was tions and attended major furniture poorer than ones from Germany. Latshows to develop new clock designs. er, when duties were lowered, it beIn 1976 Colonial hired another de- gan importing its dials from Germasigner, Judith Goldsmith, from the ny, mainly from Jackle and Weber. Kendall School in Grand Rapids. One The painted dials were hand-painted of her first significant assignments in the factory. In the 1970s when the was designing and introducing the silk-screening process was developed, Molyneux clock case line. most of the dial was silk-screened The designers made sketches of po- and only the decorative features were tential new models, reviewed them hand-painted.41 with management, and sometimes changes were made; full-size drawings were prepared (top, front, and bottom views), including all manufacturing details. The company employed two individuals in its “sample department,” who assisted in preparing drawings and patterns for the new clock designs. The company made a prototype case of each design to verify that it was satisfactory and could be manufactured without any problems. In addition, it did cost estimations for materials and labor. Occasionally, these sample clocks did not have the proper look, were either too expensive or difficult to manufacture, and were offered to employees for purchase, a unique opportuni- Figure 19, left. Model 1539, a 1914 elegantly carved ty to acquire a one- Honduras mahogany case. of-a-kind clock.40 Figure 20, right. Model 4120, introduced in 1974, that contained elements from the earlier design. NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin • January/February 2014 •

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Figure 21, right. A fivetube movement in an elegant mahogany case at the AmWay Grand Hotel in Grand Rapids. This is the same model shown in Figure 2. Figure 22, center. Model 1730 from 1972. Figure 23, far right. Model 4070 from the 1970s. Colonial manufactured a wide range of cases and selected movements that changed in response to customer demand (Table 1). It also occasionally reused certain design components; for example, Model 1539 was an early elegantly carved Honduras mahogany case introduced in 1914, and a new model 4120 that used many elements from Model 1539 was introduced in 1974 (see Figures 19 and 20).42 More clock production examples are a five-tube movement in an elegant mahogany case (Figure 21), a modern style Model 1730 from 1972 (Figure 22), and a later case style from the 1970s Model 4070 (Figure 23). Model 1344, a Honduras mahogany case clock with a “HWN” signed dial, was from the Huwina movement company in Germany owned by Hanns Winterhalder (see Figures 24A and B, next page).43 Later, Colonial also manufactured shelf and wall clocks (Figures 25 and 26), and the company also purchased completed clocks from Germany and Japan and listed them in its imported clock catalog. Colonial also manufactured some clocks for Seth Thomas, Ethan Allen, and some other furniture companies under special contracts per their requirements.44

Figures 25 and 26, above and right. Wall clock and bracket clock.

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© 2014 National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc. Reproduction prohibited without written permission. Colonial Manufacturing Co. Case & Movement Offerings Catalog Date Number of Case & Movement Combinations 1914/1915 104 case styles & 9 movement variations Undated 30 case styles & 21 movement variations 1919/1920 84 case styles & 22 movement variations 1936 56 case styles & 23 movement variations 1941 53 case styles & 18 movement variations 1949 18 case styles & 6 movement variations 1953 22 case variations & 12 movement variations 1972 77 case styles (31 wall/mantel, 40 hall, and 6 Henry Ford) 1982 57 case styles (9 wall/mantel, 41 hall, and 7 Henry Ford) 1983 67 case styles (21 wall/mantel, 28 hall, 10 Molyneux, and 8 Henry Ford)

Table 1. Case and movement offerings. Table 2, right. List of movement offerings from 1914/15 and 1919/20 catalogs.

Table 3, below. Model 1094 cost with six different movement offerings (undated catalog) probably 1917/1918.

Colonial Clock Co. movement offerings No. 20 25 28 29

Description Domestic 8-day Normandy chime movement Imported 8-day 3 tubular bell movement Domestic 8-day Westminster chime movement Domestic 8-day Westminster & Whittington chime movement

Catalog pg.. 5, 1914/5 pg.. 6, 1914/15 pg.. 7, 1914/15 pg. 8, 1914/15

85

Domestic 8-day Westminster 5 tubular bell movement

pg. 9, 1914/15

86 87 89 91 99

Domestic 8-day Westminster 5 tubular bell movement Domestic 8-day Westminster 5 tubular bell movement Domestic 8-day Westminster & Whittington 9 tubular bell movement Domestic 8-day Westminster & Canterbury 7 tubular bell movement Domestic 8-day Westminster 5 tubular bell movement

pg. 10, 1914/15 pg. 11, 1914/15 pg. 12, 1914/15 pg. 13, 1914/15 pg. 7, 1919/20

97 96 95 94

Imported 8-day Westminster & Trinity 6 tubular bell movement Imported 8-day 7-chime 13 Tubular bell movement Imported 8-day Westminster & Whittington 9 tubular bell movement 8-day Westminster, Canterbury, & Whittington 9 tubular bell movement

pg. 8, 1919/20 pg.9, 1919/20 pg. 10, 1919/20 pg. 11, 1919/20

Imported 8-day Westminster & Canterbury 7 tubular bell movement 8-day Westminster, Canterbury, and Whittington 9 tubular bell movement movement Domestic 8-day Westminster & Canterbury 7 tubular bell movement Imported 8-day Westminster chime 5 tubular bell movement Imported 8-day Westminster chime 5 tubular bell movement Domestic 8-day Westminster chime 5 tubular bell movement Domestic 8-day Westminster chime 5 tubular bell movement Domestic 8-day Westminster chime 5 tubular bell movement Domestic 8-day Westminster chime rod movement Imported 8-day spring wind Westminster chime rod movement Imported 8-day hour and half-hour strike gong movement Imported 8-day hour and half-hour strike gong movement

pg. 12, 1919/20 pg. 13, 1919/20 pg. 14, 1919/20 pg. 15, 1919/20 pg. 16, 1919/20 pg. 17, 1919/20 pg. 18, 1919/20 pg. 19, 1919/20 pg. 20, 1919/20 pg. 21, 1919/20 pg. 22, 1919/20 pg. 23, 1919/20 pg. 24, 1919/20

88 83 82 71 and 72 69 and 70 68 66 65 and 67 64 37 22 16 or 17 11

Figures 24A and B, left and below. Model 1344 Honduras mahogany case and signed “HWN” dial. Colonial used movements from many makers, both domestic and imported from Germany and England. A partial list of movement makers that supplied Colonial are Enfield, Gilbert, Herschede, Hermle, HWN, Erhard Jauch, Gebrueder Jauch, Kienninger, Mauthe, Muller, Urgos, and Winterhalder & Hoffmeier.45 These movements varied from simple spring-driven time and strike to complicated three-train weight-driven 5, 7, 9, or 13 tubular bells. See Table 2 for a list of movement offerings from 1914/15 and 1919/20 catalogs. Chris Den Herder commented that Germany was the only place the company could acquire quality weight-driven pull-up movements.46 By the 1970s www.nawcc.org

most of the German movement makers had gone bankrupt, and only Hermle, Kienninger, Erhard Jauch, and Urgos were left. Tran Duy Ly’s book Longcase Clocks and Standing Regulators has a chapter illustrating Colonial cases and movements from the company’s 1919/1920 catalog. It provides a good visual reference of the variety of movement and case styles produced by Colonial.47 In the early years customers were given a choice of movements for most models, often four to six for higherend clocks (see Table 3 for Model 1094); often the movement was two to three times the cost of the case. In the early 1970s the company simpli-

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© 2014 National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc. Reproduction prohibited without written permission.

Antique Reproductions for the Henry Ford Museum During the 1930s, Colonial signed an agreement with Henry Ford Museum to reproduce a number of pieces of furniture and clocks from its collection. The museum insisted that they be exact reproductions and made to high standards. Several of the tall clocks were proportionally scaled down for modern homes. This was an important step for Colonial, because it acknowledged its quality clock and furniture-making ability. In 1941 Colonial’s reproduction of furniture and clocks from Edison Institute (Henry Ford Museum) was featured in House and Garden.49 In the late 1970s the company signed an agreement with Winterthur to reproduce four clocks: David Williams tall clock, Aaron Willard bracket clock, Simon Willard banjo clock, and Daniel Balch Massachusetts shelf clock. Later, the company reproduced a limited number of clocks from the Winterthur collection; they were very expensive, so only a very limited number were produced; an example was Simon Willard “Improved Time Piece,’” better known later as a “banjo” clock (Figure 27).50 fied its clock production so that each model had a particular movement; for example, Models 6000 and 6002 were identical, but Model 6000 had a Westminister movement and Model 6002 had a triple-chime movement.48 Colonial published complete catalogs about every three years. The earliest catalogs had line drawings of the movements, dials, clocks, and furniture on heavy paper in leatherbound books. By the 1970s the company used vinyl-covered three-ring binders with price lists inserted in the back pocket. In these later catalogs the clocks were photographed in color by using elaborate setups with different wall coverings, rugs, furniture, and other decorations. The sales group proofread the catalogs before they were printed; Colonial typically produced and mailed out 1,000 catalogs to dealers. In intervening years Colonial mailed out individual sheets with new or revised models and updated price lists. For the company’s 75th anniversary the catalog cover had a special banner on it.51 The 1974 Colonial catalog provided a good understanding of the company’s marketing strategy; it offered 58 models in four different collections for specific markets. The basic group retail prices ranged from $400

to $450, the medium collection prices ranged from $550 to $750, an upper group was priced as high as $1,500, and a fourth group was eight Henry Ford Museum clocks with prices that ranged from $180 to $1,200. Clock cases were all wood; anything carved or shaped was solid wood. Hardwood was used for some bottoms, and flake board was used for some cabinet backs. No plastic components were used. There was typically a 100 percent markup between wholesale and retail prices. The company made three or four versions of a miniature grandfather clock about 12 inches tall in a mahogany case containing a New Haven clock movement (Figure 28). For many years Colonial employed salesmen whose salaries were based on commission, and each had a designated territory. During the mid1970s the company switched to salary employee salesmen with bonuses. The salesmen had designated territories and dealt mainly with retail buyers for their clock orders; Colonial developed “incentive programs” with various retailers encouraging larger orders with higher discounts. This benefitted both parties—a larger and

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Figure 28, above. Twelve-inch tall miniature grandfather clock. Figure 27, left. Simon Willard bridal “Improved Timepiece.”

more efficient ordering pattern for Colonial and a slightly better margin for the customer. Orders were telephoned or later faxed to the factory from both salesmen and dealers.52 During the 1970s grandfather clocks were selling so well that salesmen visited various retailers and urged customers to place orders by certain cutoff dates or they risked not getting clocks. Colonial retailed its clocks through large department stores in major cities; for example, in Detroit, MI, J. L. Hudson was a dominant department store. Dobie Jewelers also was a large jewelry retailer in suburban Detroit that advertised and sold significant numbers of Colonial and Herschede clocks (key selling point: they offered free delivery and setup in a 75-mile radius). Both J. L. Hudson and Dobie Jewlers were featured in the magazine DECOR “The Magazine of Fine Interior Accessories” during the early 1970s. Clock www.nawcc.org

© 2014 National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc. Reproduction prohibited without written permission.

sales were especially strong in fall and Christmas, and orders had to be placed by May to ensure they would have them in their stores. Colonial and retailers also split the advertising costs for special newspaper advertisements. Colonial had warehouses in both Detroit and Chicago that were especially busy between Thanksgiving and Christmas. A customer basic manual highlighting do’s and don’ts for handling a particular movement was included with each clock along with an extra suspension spring.52-54 Colonial published a special 32page pocket size (3 in. x 6 in.) manual titled “Technical and Other Information for Retail Salesman.” It contained background information, how to set up clocks, make adjustments, diagnose small problems, and a glossary of terms. It provided descriptions and pictures of different Colonial movements and various Colonial clocks. The booklet was probably also distributed to various retailers to help them communicate with customers and resolve minor setup and adjustment problems. Several factory employees often did evening service calls to customers in western Michigan to deal with a variety of issues.

Clock Identification and Dating Colonial normally marked its clocks with a model number; this number (two, three, or four digits) can be found stamped on the outside case back just below where the movement was mounted. Beginning in the early 1960s Colonial applied a metal serial number tag on the inside of the door; the first two serial number digits indicated the year, but this is not 100 percent, because the company pulled a block of serial numbers for an entire year. If it did not use all the serial numbers by the end of the year, it would continue the next year until all the serial numbers were consumed. However, it was useful for approximate clock dating. Another exception was serial numbers beginning with 74 actually covered production from 1974 to 1977. The serial numbering did not apply to Henry www.nawcc.org

Ford Museum clock production models; they were numbered in their own logbook.55

Conclusion Colonial clock production began sometime after its formal incorporation in 1906 and went through a series of factory enlargements as production increased. It added furniture along with its clock manufacture, and its product offerings broadened as the factory’s capacity increased. During World War I the company could not obtain German movements. It believed that American and English movements were not as good, so the company introduced a line of library furniture. Production slowed significantly during the early 1930s because of the Depression but improved leading up to World War II. World War II brought problems, because it had difficulties acquiring movements and the entire country was focused on winning the war. A resurgence started in the late 1940s as returning veterans got married and wanted clocks and furniture for their homes. The company introduced decorative French and Italian Provincial furniture during the 1950s along with its clocks. In 1959 the company eliminated furniture manufacturing and concentrated on the more profitable clocks and updated its clock offerings during the 1960s. In 1974 the company was purchased by Thomas Industries, which aggressively expanded sales and clock production. The company made selective acquisitions, purchasing Bodart Furniture Co. in 1972 and Molyneux Clock Co. in 1977. The Molyneux line became very profitable for the company. In 1980 a new plant was built in Kentwood near Grand Rapids, and all clock production was moved there. Moving clock production to the Kentwood plant did not go smoothly, because many Zeeland employees did not want to commute to Grand Rapids and the plant experienced labor issues. Unfortunately, the grandfather clock market became extremely competitive in the 1980s, with dropping prices and lower mar-

gins, combined with labor issues and the company losing money. Thomas Industries closed Colonial in 1985 and sold unfinished inventory to S. LaRose Co., ending almost 80 years of clock production. However, Colonial has left clock collectors a legacy of tens of thousands of wonderful hall clocks and a variety of shelf and wall clocks.

References 1. History of Zeeland, Michigan, Wikipedia. 2. The Zeelander, Zeeland Chamber of Commerce, Vol. 15, No. 1 (October 29, 1974). 3. Articles of Association of Colonial Manufacturing Company, filed January 10, 1906, and recorded State of Michigan January 19, 1906, Department of Licensing and Registration, State of Michigan. 4. Grand Rapids Evening Press, April 28, 1911, courtesy Howard Miller Public Library, Zeeland, MI. 5. Partial Colonial 1913-1917 sales records from Chris Den Herder, February 2012. 6. Zeeland Record, ZR Graphics, 16 S. Elm St., Zeeland, MI (February 2, 1996): 1, reprint from Grand Rapids Evening Press, August 8, 1927. 7. Zeeland Record, ZR Graphics, 16 S. Elm St., Zeeland, MI (February 13, 1958): 5. 8. D. K. Stevenson, “Heanina, Hawina, and Johann Ludwig Winterhalder in America,” NAWCC Bulletin, No. 382 (October 2009): 568-576. 9. Zeeland Record, ZR Graphics, 16 S. Elm St., Zeeland, MI (February 6, 1941): 1; (March 15, 1956): 5. 10. Colonial of Zeeland Catalog of French Provincial Furniture. 11. Discussion with Bruce DePree, former Colonial Manufacturing executive vice-president, September 2011. 12. Discussion with Chris Den Herder, former president of Colonial Manufacturing (1962-1980), October 2011. 13. Discussion with Terry Casey, former Colonial Customer Service Department manager, November 2011.

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14. Discussion with Bruce DePree, former Colonial Manufacturing executive vice-president, September 2011. 15. Zeeland Record, ZR Graphics, 16 S. Elm St., Zeeland, MI, October 31, 1974: 1. 16. Thomas Industries, Inc., Annual Report 1976. 17. Discussion with Bruce DePree, former Colonial Manufacturing executive vice-president, September 2011. 18. Later company sales Figures from Chris Den Herder, former president of Colonial Manufacturing (1962-1980), October 2011. 19. Discussion with Chris Den Herder, former president of Colonial Manufacturing (1962-1980), October 2011. 20. Zeeland Record, ZR Graphics, 16 S. Elm St., Zeeland, MI (June 17, 1977): 1. 21. Zeeland Record, ZR Graphics, 16 S. Elm St., Zeeland, MI (July 30, 1981): 1. 22. Zeeland Record, ZR Graphics, 16 S. Elm St., Zeeland, MI (March 10, 1983): 1. 23. Discussion with Terry Mervau, former Colonial clock designer and vice-president of production, April 2012. 24. Discussion with Matthew Rothert, former Colonial Manufacturing president 1980-1984. 25. Zeeland Record, ZR Graphics, 16 S. Elm St., Zeeland, MI (February 14, 1985): 1. 26. Clock and Watch Review, July 1985. 27. Iron Age, David Williams Co., 239 W. 39th St., New York City (February 16, 1916): 410. 28. Zeeland Record, ZR Graphics, 16 S. Elm St., Zeeland, MI (February 28, 1919): 1. 29. Zeeland Record, ZR Graphics, 16 S. Elm St., Zeeland, MI (September 25, 1925): 1. 30. Zeeland Record, ZR Graphics, 16 S. Elm St., Zeeland, MI (March 18, 1926): 1. 31. Email from former employee Mary Van Vels, January 2012.

32. Discussion with Bonnie Schuitema, former Colonial employee in Sales Department. 33. Reprint from Woodworking & Furniture (Carol Stream, IL: Hitchcock Publishing Company, February 1974). 34. Discussion with Jim List, former Colonial salesman, February 2012. 35. Discussion with Chris Den Herder, former president Colonial Manufacturing (1962-1980, February 2012. 36. Discussion with Terry Mervau, former Colonial designer and operations manager (1962-1980), March 2012. 37. Discussion with Randy Assink, former Colonial Zeeland plant shipping foreman. 38. David Saunders, Holland Sentinel (January 24, 1981). 39. Watch & Clock Review, Golden Bell Press, 2403 Champs St., Denver, CO (April 1983): 15-17. 40. Discussion with Terry Mervau, former Colonial designer and operations manager (1962-1980), March 2012. 41. Discussion with Chris Den Herder, former president Colonial Manufacturing (1962-1980), February 2012. 42. Letter from Chris Den Herder to customer in 1974 included with 1974 Colonial catalog. 43. D. K. Stevenson, “Heanina, Hawina, and Johann Ludwig Winterhalder in America,” NAWCC Bulletin, No. 382 (October 2009): 568. 44. Discussion with Chris Den Herder, former president Colonial Manufacturing (1962-1980), February 2012. 45. Discussion with Terry Casey, former Colonial service manager, September 2011. 46. Discussion with Chris Den Herder, former president Colonial Manufacturing (1962-1980), February 2012. 47. Tran Duy Ly, Longcase Clocks and Standing Regulators. Part 1: Machine Made Clocks (Johnson City, TN: Arlington Book Company, 1994), 60-139.

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48. Discussion with Terry Casey, former Colonial Service Department manager, September 2011. 49. Zeeland Record, ZR Graphics, 16 S. Elm St., Zeeland, MI (February 6, 1941): 1. 50. Winterthur Collection Advertisement in Architectural Digest, September 1982. 51. Discussion with Bonnie Schuitema, former Colonial employee in Sales Department. 52. Discussion with Jim List, former Colonial salesman, February 2012. 53. Decor, Dobie Jewelers, May 1972. 54. Decor, J. L. Hudsons, May 1973. 55. Discussion with Terry Casey, former Colonial Service Department manager, September 2011.

Acknowledgments I thank my wife Linda for her patience, and Mel Anderson, Randy Assink, Terry Casey, Chris Den Herder, Judy Den Herder, Bruce DePree, Nancy Dyer, Robert Engels, Jim List, Terry Mervau, Matthew Rothert, Bonnie Schuitema, Mary Van Vels, Sara van Lente, Dekker Huis (Zeeland Historical Museum), Grand Rapids Public Library, Herrick Central Library (Holland), Holland Historical Museum, Howard Miller Public Library (Zeeland), and NAWCC Library.

About the Author The author joined the NAWCC in 1997 and found clock collecting fascinating. He has found researching the histories of various makers and companies as challenging and exciting as collecting. His principal collecting interest is weight-driven clocks from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He recently retired from DuPont Performance Coatings and spends some of his free time writing articles for the Watch & Clock Bulletin.

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