By Sophia Lian
On the corner of Northern Boulevard and Main Street in Roslyn stands the Ellen E. Ward Memorial Clock Tower.
The clock tower, a property of the Town of North Hempstead, was built in 1895 as a memorial for Roslyn resident Ellen Eliza Ward by her children, Robert C. Stuart, William Cairns Stuart, and Virginia Stuart Mackay-Smith.
Ellen Eliza Ward passed away on Jan. 18, 1893, approximately two years before the completion of the tower.
The clock tower is not Roslyn’s first Ward memorial. In fact, Ellen Eliza Ward built the first Ward Memorial in memory of her husband, General Elijah Ward: the Horse Trough “water fountain” located at the intersection of Bryant Avenue, Old Northern Boulevard, and Skillman Street.
General Ward served as judge-advocate of the State of New York beginning in 1853 and as a U.S. Congressman from 1857-1859, 1861-1865 during the American Civil War, and 1875-1877 during the Reconstruction era.
Before the construction of the clock tower began, petitioners met with the town board of North Hempstead at the town clerk’s office to discuss the plans that Ellen Eliza Ward’s children had to build a memorial to their mother. A majority vote approved the resolution for the clock tower’s construction.
The construction process had three major components: the tower, the clock, and the bell. Lamb and Rich drew the overall design of the clock tower. The Egyptian-style tower was expected to cost $10,000 to build.
The tower was built on an elevated surface so it would be seen throughout the entire town. Seth Thomas Clock Company in Connecticut created and installed the clock itself. Weekly weight adjustments in the tower allowed the clock to function.
The circular staircase within the completed tower leads to the first section, which houses the clock mechanism. The staircase then leads up to the 2,500-pound bell, which also served as a fire alarm.
Outside the tower there are two large stones with bronze tablets and a cannon. One of the bronze tablets honors Corp. Pilot William H. Tailer’s services in World War I.
The additional bronze tablet is dedicated to residents who lost their lives in the Army Force during World War II.
The cannon is a Spanish-American War trophy that was once mounted on the gunboat Wasp. Both the Clock Tower and the historic artifacts outside it are dedicated to remembering Roslyn residents.
To learn more about the history and for an inside look into the Ellen E. Ward Memorial Clock Tower, visit the Roslyn Landmark Society’s website at roslynlandmarks.org. You can also visit the Bryant Library’s Local History Collection at localhistory.bryantlibrary.org to explore more of Roslyn’s historical past.
Sophia Lian is a Roslyn Landmark Society 2024 Gardiner Young Scholars Program high school intern and part of the new “Young Historians” collaboration between the Roslyn Landmark Society and Blank Slate Media. Special thanks to the Bryant Library’s Local History Collection for providing research assistance.
Sources:
The Bryant Library’s Local History Collection. https://www.localhistory.bryan…
“The Death List of a Day. Elijah Ward.” The New York Times, February 8, 1882.
