The Peru Gazette

First Presbyterian Church – Peru Gazette File Photo

Chazy Central Student Jordan Juneau

Standing next to one of the unrestored clock faces, Building and Grounds Committee Member Bob Davis said the clock the E. Howard Clock Company of Boston made the 1873 clock.

Church members after the unveiling. Very happy!

L-R Bill Merrill, Mike Drew of CV-TEC, Rollie McGree, Herb Cottrell and Bob Davis

The beautiful restored clock face takes its place in the church’s rich history.

By John T. Ryan

Plattsburgh – September 24, 2023  Members of the First Presbyterian Church gathered Sunday morning to thank CV-TEC for restoring one of the three clock faces that adorned the church’s tall spire from 1873 to 1950. Building and Grounds Committee member Bill Merrill unveiled the impressive 54-inch diameter clock face to the delight of everyone. It stood in stark contrast to the nearby unrestored face. Merrill joked that the Church was deliberate in its decision-making, having placed the three clock faces in storage for some seventy years. He thanked the church’s Building and Grounds Committee, especially Rollie McGee, who asked his neighbor Mike Drew, a CV-TEC Construction Trades Instructor if his students would be interested in the project and later coordinated the project.

Mike Drew commented, “Thank you for bringing CV-TEC into this community partnership. It was a great school project; the kids had to devise a plan. They had a lot of fun.” Drew said two students, Chazy Central student Jordan Juneau and Peru Central student Zach Harblin Bowlby, took over the project. They used sandpaper and applied polyurethane stain to the massive clock face. Jordan Juneau commented, “It was great to work on. We sanded it over about three months and tried to fix the clock hands as much as possible. It was an honor to work on it.” Zach Harbin Bowlby graduated from Peru Central last June and wasn’t present for Sunday’s presentation.

Church Pastor Rev. Dr. Timothy Luoma expressed his thanks for the CV-TEC partnership. He commented, “The restoration shows that we value those who came before us.” The restored clock face will remain in the church’s fellowship hall, where church members and visitors can reflect on it and the First Presbyterian Church’s history as Plattsburgh’s first congregation, founded in 1797. The original church burned in 1867. The church that stands today was dedicated in July 1873.