Thirteen O’Clock? What Time Is It, Really?

Salem Evangelical Church is close to my apartment. It is a beautiful Church with an operating clock near the top of the steeple.

Now, just because I say "operating" doesn't mean that it works properly.

When I first moved in, the clock wasn't working at all. No time, no chimes. Within a month we started hearing sounds come from the clock. Chimes at the 15, 30, and 45 marks. Then actual BONGS at the top of the hour. Sure, it was a couple of minutes off, but close enough.

Occasionally the BONGS would be off. We would joke after 11 BONGS "hey - it must be 1:00!", and sometimes we would be correct.

Then Daylight Savings Time ended. Everyone was to set their clocks back on hour to return to Central Standard Time. Well one side of the clock had the correct time, while the other side was an hour slow.

Recently the clock stopped making sounds, then returned to making sounds. Sometimes correct, sometime off. Not much consistency.

Last night as we lie in bed we heard 13 BONGS. We had to laugh, because we each thought that we were crazy until we confirmed with each other that, yes, we did hear 13.

I would love to see the inner-workings of the clock atop Salem Evangelical. If you know who I can talk to about arranging a tour, or if you know any stories / history regarding the clock, please let me know below.