Timexpo Museum facts for kids
Timexpo Museum Exterior with Moai statue
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| Established | 2001 |
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| Dissolved | 2015 |
| Location | 175 Union St, Waterbury, Connecticut, United States |
| Type | History museum, horology museum |
| Owner | Timex Group USA, Inc. |
The Timexpo Museum was a cool place in Waterbury, Connecticut, that told the story of the Timex Group and the companies that came before it. It showed how they made clocks and watches all the way back to 1854! The museum was inside the Brass Mill Commons shopping center. You could easily spot it because there was a giant, 40-foot (about 12-meter) tall copy of a Moai statue from Easter Island right outside! This statue was a hint about one of the museum's exciting exhibits on archaeology.
The museum was quite big, about 14,000 square feet (1,300 square meters). A large part of this space, about 8,000 square feet (740 square meters), was used for its two main displays: the history of timepieces made by the company and an exhibit about archaeology.
The Story of Timex
For a long time, Waterbury has been known as the "Brass Capital" because of its history of making things from brass. The building where the Timexpo Museum was located used to be the main office for other big brass companies. It's the only building left from a huge 44-acre (18-hectare) brass factory area.
The Timex Group started because of this brass industry in Waterbury. The first clock-making company began in 1854 as a part of a brass manufacturer called Benedict & Burnham. This company was a local rival to another big brass company, Scovill. The clock-making part became its own separate business on March 27, 1857, because it was so successful!
What You Could See at Timexpo
The museum showed many important moments from the Timex Group's history. One cool exhibit was about how the U.S. Army asked the Waterbury Clock Company in 1917 to make wristwatches for soldiers going overseas. These watches were based on a small pocket watch called the Ingersoll Ladies Midget.
But the museum wasn't just about watches! It also shared stories about local history. You could even see letters written by the famous author Mark Twain, who lived nearby in Hartford for a while. The museum also had exhibits about brave travelers who explored the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean. These exhibits were inspired by the amazing journeys of an explorer named Thor Heyerdahl.
How the Museum Started and Ended
Plans for the Timexpo Museum were approved in 1999, and it finally opened its doors in May 2001. It cost about $5.45 million to build and set up. A group called the Naugatuck Valley Development Corporation and the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development helped with some of the money, and Timex paid for the rest.
Sadly, the museum closed down at the end of September 2015. It didn't have enough visitors to stay open.
