Keeping watch and time for over a century, the Neenah clock tower will be celebrating 130 years in 2018.

“It’s become an icon of the city,” member of the Neenah Historical Society and NHS history teacher, Mr. Brenton Christian, explained.  

Built in 1888, the Neenah clock tower was part of City Hall, the heartbeat of Neenah life.  Truly, the 110-foot-clock tower was incorporated in every aspect of Neenah since its creation.  According to Clocktower History, as a section of City Hall, the clock tower combined with the building that housed the fire and police stations, including multiple jail cells for local lawbreakers.  

One evening in 1899, as documented by Clocktower History, while the clock tower’s bell chimed curfew, Dr. Chapin, pastor, approached six boys sitting outside of  Michelson’s Hall.  Their conversation led to the creation of the Boys’ Brigade of Neenah, an institution that rests right across the road from the clock tower that rang in its arrival.  

“The clock tower makes me proud to be a part of such an outstanding community through Brigade,”  participant of the Boys’ and Girls’ Brigade, Marissa Olsen, said.  Now, almost 118 years since its creation in 1900, the Brigade services both boys and girls, guiding them to become leaders not only in Neenah, but in communities throughout the world.

In 1930, the tower’s bell sang of the NHS basketball state championship victory, the first in all time, as confirmed by If Neenah Walls Could Talk.  

Only 42 years later, Christian related that plans were organized to demolish city hall, including the clock tower.  Fighting for the historical landmark, 5,000 citizens advocated to salvage the tower that still stands today, devoid of City Hall.

Not only did citizens save the clock tower, but in 2008 they, along with the City of Neenah, invested $195,000 into restoration, ensuring that the iconic tower would stand firm for generations to come.

“It’s always nice to know where you come from, establishing traditions that last a lifetime,” Christian said with a smile that illustrated his sense of hometown pride.  

While walking on the sidewalks downtown when the bell tolls the hour, remember that its ring is ageless, heard throughout Neenah for decades.  This tradition, so constant Neenah citizens hardly recognize its significance, has continued for more than a lifetime, but a lifetime and a half.

For more facts on the history of Neenah buildings, visit https://ifneenahswallscouldtalk.weebly.com/, a website created by a collection of NHS students dedicated to telling the story of Neenah’s most iconic buildings.