Timexpo Museum facts for kids
Museum logo
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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 special place in Waterbury, Connecticut, that told the amazing story of the Timex Group and its history. It showed off cool exhibits about how watches and clocks were made, going all the way back to 1854 when the Waterbury Clock Company first started. The museum was easy to spot because it had a giant, 40-foot-tall replica of a Moai statue, just like the famous ones on Easter Island! This statue was a clue to one of the museum's exciting exhibits about archaeology. The Timexpo Museum closed its doors in 2015.
Contents
Exploring the Timexpo Museum
The Timexpo Museum was located in the Brass Mill Commons shopping center. It covered a large area, about 14,000 square feet. A big part of this space, about 8,000 square feet, was used for two main types of exhibits. One exhibit focused on the company's long history of making timepieces, from early clocks to modern watches. The other main exhibit was all about archaeology, which is the study of human history through digging up old things.
Waterbury: The Brass City
For many years, the city of Waterbury was known as the "Brass Capital" of the United States. This was because many factories there made things out of brass. Even though manufacturing changed over time, the city's history with brass was very important. The building where the Timexpo Museum was located used to be an office for big brass companies. It was the only building left from a huge 44-acre brass factory area.
How Timex Began
The Timex Group actually started because of Waterbury's brass industry. The original clock company, called Waterbury Clock Company, began in 1854. It was part of a brass manufacturing company named Benedict & Burnham. This company was a local competitor to another big brass company called Scovill. The Waterbury Clock Company became so successful that it officially became its own separate company on March 27, 1857.
Amazing Exhibits and Stories
The Timexpo Museum focused on many important moments in the history of the Timex Group. It also shared interesting local stories and tales of exploration.
Watches for Soldiers
One exhibit showed how the U.S. Army asked the Waterbury Clock Company for help in 1917. Soldiers heading overseas needed watches they could wear on their wrists. So, the company took a small pocketwatch called the Ingersoll Ladies Midget and turned it into a wristwatch for the soldiers. This was a big step in making wristwatches popular.
Famous Visitors and Explorers
The museum also included parts of local history. For example, there were letters from the famous writer Mark Twain. He lived for a time in nearby Hartford, Connecticut. Another exciting part of the museum was about the travels of settlers across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. These exhibits were inspired by the real-life explorations of Thor Heyerdahl, a famous adventurer.
Museum's Journey: Opening and Closing
The idea for the Timexpo Museum was approved in 1999. It officially opened its doors to visitors in May 2001.
Building the Museum
The total cost to create the museum was about $5.45 million. A group called the Naugatuck Valley Development Corporation and the Connecticut Department of Economic Development and Community Development helped by providing $2 million. Timex Group USA funded the rest of the project.
Why the Museum Closed
Sadly, the Timexpo Museum closed at the end of September 2015. It closed because not enough people were visiting it. Even though it had many interesting exhibits, the low attendance meant it could not stay open.
See also
- American Clock & Watch Museum in Bristol, Connecticut
- Timex Group USA
- American clock
- Chauncey Jerome
