Judy Fieldsend urged her son to fix Fuller's Pawn clock on Main Avenue.
On Friday, Jeff Fieldsend obliged, volunteering his time as an electrician. His employer, Davis Electric, loaned a boom truck for the operation.
"She's been hounding me all summer. I finally got time to go look at it now," Jeff said. "Basically, the problem was a bunch of loose wires."
It's unknown how long the clock has been idle - decades, perhaps - but within about an hour, he had it ticking.
"I do have the south face working, and it seems to be keeping time, but the north face is going to need some parts to get it up and running," he said. "It wasn't real difficult getting it going - reaching it is the hard part."
ADVERTISEMENT
The clock's glass dial reveals its manufacturer, a McClintock-Loomis logo in the corner.
After doing some online research, Jeff discovered McClintock-Loomi was only in business from 1908 to 1917. Headquartered in Minneapolis, the company made electrical chime and clock systems. According to a South River Historical and Preservation Society newsletter based in New Jersey, O.B. McClintock partnered with Freeman L. Loomis in 1908 to form the company. Loomis eventually left in 1917, and then it was renamed the O.B. McClintock Company. The McClintock Company ceased its operations in 1950 when Diebold, Inc. purchased it.
Judy took an interest in the clock because her neighbors and friends are Betty Fuller, owner of Fuller's Gun and Pawn Shop, and Betty's brother, Royce Holland.
Frank A. Fuller started the Park Rapids business, as Fuller & Denning Hardware, in 1885. Earl Fuller took over in 1913, and in 1930, began selling fishing tackle full time. Earl's son, Jerry, operated the business from 1959 until he passed away in 2011.
Later this week, Jeff plans to remove the broken dial on the clock's north face.
"There's a 10-minute section of the dial that only moves 30 seconds instead of one minute at a time, so it's going to be 15 minutes off every hour," he explained. For now, it is turned off.
Jeff hopes to find a replacement for 101- to 110-year-old clock part.
"I found 10 of these motors I need that might work, but all have different measurements," he said, anticipating it will cost $100.
ADVERTISEMENT
His personal goal is to light up the clock face, pending Betty Fuller's approval.
"Originally, it had lights in it. I don't even know how they got power to it or if it's still hooked up," he said.