By Ed Shannon, staff writer

Visitors passing through the lobby of the older portion of the Freeborn County Government Center are seeing a a rather strange device on display next to the stairway. This device with its gears and wires on a large steel frame is actually the basic part of

a clock which was once in a belfry tower above the courthouse roof. And the person responsible for setting up this unusual display in the lobby of the 1888 building is former Freeborn County Commissioner Dave Mullenbach.

&8220;We put the clock part on display to get people excited about raising funds to restore the clock,&8221; he explained.

How this part of the former courthouse clock ended up in a different more public area of the building is based on Mullenbach&8217;s two terms as a county commissioner. He represented the Fourth District from 1998 to 2006. During those years the decision was made to build the government center addition. As a part of this project, several changes and improvements were also proposed for the original courthouse building.

One part of the project involved an inspection of the upper portion of the 1888 courthouse. During a visit to the interior of the base of the former belfry tower with its now flat roof, Mullenbach found what was a small shed or shanty within what was the equivalent of an attic area. This structure sheltered parts of the former courthouse clock from being damaged by a flock of pigeons which once used this part of the building as their loft.

The decision was made to remove the clock parts from this location through a somewhat narrow entryway down into the courthouse. Mullenbach said this was done with the cooperation of Randy Jensen, the building and grounds superintendent. The main part of the clockworks was placed on display in the lobby and the other parts are now in storage.

This clock was purchased from the famous Seth Thomas firm in 1910. With the clock and its four dial faces came a large mostly bronze bell which mechanically sounded the hours of the day and night. The clock was ready for operation in the tall courthouse tower with its two belfries on Feb. 11, 1911.

Structural problems with the courthouse tower in 1923 resulted in the removal of the clock and bell. The tower was rebuilt and made shorter with only a single belfry. The clock and bell were reinstalled in the new tower.

During the years the clock and bell were in the revised tower, an incident occurred which still ranks as the real courthouse mystery. A still unknown man committed suicide by hanging sometime during June 1, 1939. His body was found by a custodian who went up into the tower on July 5, 1938, to inspect the clock.

Yet, through the years the clock and bell didn&8217;t quite function as intended.

Also, the revised clock tower at the southwest corner of the original courthouse was again developing serious structural problems.

In the fall of 1953 the decision was made to demolish the tower down to the present flat base and to remove a portion of the clock and its bell. The four faces and some connecting parts were reportedly junked with the bricks and other features of the tower&8217;s top. The 1,600-pound bell was stored at the county shop, then sold to Grace Lutheran Church in 1958 where its still in active use.

&8220;We can still put the clock back together,&8221; Mullenbach declares.

However, the four faces and many of the connecting rods and other missing parts needed to restore what&8217;s now an electrical clock will have to be machined or created. Also, a new bell will have

to be obtained.

One person who has been consulted regarding the possible future status of this particular timepiece is Lloyd Larish of Faribault, owner of The House of Clocks.

He&8217;s been making and restoring tower and sidewalk clocks for 28 years. His work has involved clocks in 46 states, including 30 in Iowa and several foreign nations.

Asked if the former Freeborn County clock could be fully restored, his answer is an emphatic yes.

Several nearby examples of clocks installed or restored by Larish include clocks at the Rochester Civic Center, Rice County Courthouse and the Buckham Library in Faribault, Waseca County Courthouse and the Pine Island City Hall.

Mullenbach says there are two possibilities for the restoration of the historic courthouse clock in Albert Lea. One is to recreate a new clock tower on top of the 1888 courthouse. The other is to create a new free standing clock tower near the courthouse.

The estimated cost of the clock restoration project would be about $80,000, according to Mullenbach.

&8220;We just have to hope something might happen,&8221; he said of the possible future for this particular courthouse clock.