Little Primitive Ingraham Mantle Alarm

by R. Heitzenrater
(Durham, NC)

I acquired this primitive little alarm mantle clock (the cathedral casing is about 6 1/2 x 11 inches) in rural Pennsylvania in the early 1960s. Its works indicate that it was made by E. Ingraham, Bristol, Conn. The patent dates are Oct. 6, 1876 and Nov. 11, 1878.

There is one bell inside that serves for "chiming" the hours and for ringing the alarm, which is set by using a metal ring at the hub of the hands. The little brass liner is missing from one of the winding holes--otherwise it appears to be all there and works like a charm (a daily wind is required).

Someone may know something about this little clock, but I have not been able to find out anything, beyond someone telling me that it was a nineteenth-century "primitive."