HOULTON, Maine — A new, old-fashioned timepiece will soon be erected in downtown Houlton thanks to the generosity of a local organization.
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows Rockabema Lodge No. 78 in Houlton graciously offered to pay for the cost of placing a new clock within the downtown area, but left the specifics of what style and where it should go up to the town.
On Monday, Aug. 8, the town council agreed to place the clock on a parcel of land at the corner of Main Street and Broadway, near the Cary Library.
“The clock committee felt that the design of the clock would go well with the architecture in that area,” said Councilor Sue Tortello, a member of the clock committee. “It’s an area of town where people congregate quite a bit. We felt this was a place where pedestrians could really see and appreciate the clock.”
Bruce Folsom, a member of the lodge, explained that the group had been looking for a way to make a lasting donation to the town. He first approached the town with the idea for a new clock back in the spring.
“We have been working on this idea for about two years,” Folsom said. “We really wanted to do something for the community that would be a lasting gesture for generations to come.”
Folsom said the idea for a town clock came to him while he was in downtown Portland and noticed a number of similar timepieces throughout the area.
Estimated to cost $17,000, the project will be solely funded by the Rockabema Lodge, with the town only required to maintain the piece and provide electricity.
Folsom said his group had originally planned to do fundraisers for the clock, but those events never materialized. Instead, the group will simply fund the project with money from its investments.
Standing nearly 11 feet high, the black aluminum clock will have four sides, and feature gold lettering with the words “Houlton” and “Established 1807.” Tortello said that the established date conflicts with the town’s seal, which features the words “Incorporated 1831.”
“We decided it was important to use the established year, rather than the incorporation date, because back in 2007, we celebrated the town’s bicentennial,” she said. “We also decided to go with Roman numerals, which may cause some difficulty with younger people who have no idea what a Roman numeral is.”
The plan is for the clock to be placed prior to winter of this year.
