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‘Schulz’ Clock

Kroeger Clock no. 1689, 1893 (MC0002)

This clock was made during the peak period of Kroeger clock manufacture between 1890 and 1910. It was commissioned by a wealthy Mennonite factory owner and would have been one of the most expensive models Kroeger Clockmakers made. By this time, the Kroegers began to stamp serial numbers to the inside back of the clocks. This is not a typical clock of the period––most had lighter dials with floral decals. This clock is also significant because it belonged to Arthur Kroeger’s maternal grandparents, and it was the first clock that he restored, repaired, and repainted.

History

Dietrich Schulz of Osterwick, Chortitza Colony, commissioned this clock as a gift for his son, Peter D. Schulz (1871–1914) and future daughter-in-law, Anna Zacharias (1871–1950) for their wedding in 1893. These were Arthur Kroeger's maternal grandparents. They settled in Osterwick (now Dolynske, Ukraine). Peter died of a heart attack in 1914. Anna, three sons, one daughter-in-law, and one grandson immigrated to Canada in 1927. One more son came to Canada later. Eventually the Schulz sons were able to make a living as farmers in Alberta. The clock passed to Peter Schulz Jr., Anna and Peter's son. He offered it to Arthur Kroeger in the 1960s.

 

  • Description Thirty-hour wall clock with pendulum and weight-driven movement, made by Kroeger Clockmakers in Rosenthal, Russian Empire (now Ukraine), in 1893, serial number 1689. Arched dial with raised chapter ring is red-brown with a double border around the perimeter and across the arch, and a single border around the arch. Arch has a hand-painted gold scroll decoration. Spandrels are hand-painted gold scrolls. Red-brown chapter ring with gold Roman numerals; silver outer rings with five-minute and one-minute marks; silver inner ring with black Arabic numerals mark the calendar day. Three hands; bell, calendar, and repeater functions; chain drive; four weights.

  • Mennonite Clock Number MC0002

  • Object Name Kroeger Clock

  • Serial Number 1689

  • Date Created 1893

  • Maker Kroeger Clockmakers

  • Location Made Rosenthal, Chortitza Colony, Russian Empire (now Ukraine)

  • Movement Type Iron plate

  • Functions Bell; Calendar; Repeater

  • Owner Kroeger Clocks Heritage Foundation

  • Publications Arthur Kroeger, Kroeger Clocks (Steinbach, MB: Mennonite Heritage Village, 2012), p. 104.

    Arthur Kroeger, ‘The Kroeger Clock,’ in First Mennonite Villages in Russia, 1789–1943, ed. N. J. Kroeker (Vancouver: N. J. Kroeger, 1981), p. 87.

  • Notes Arthur Kroeger referred to this as the ‘Schulz Clock.’

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