Sometimes I wonder how many visitors notice that the clock on the mantle in the Site’s restored library is set to 3:30. This isn’t by chance. It turns out that 3:30 p.m. is when Theodore Roosevelt took the oath of office on September 14th, 1901 and that the clock is the original to the house.

After the death of Mary Grace Wilcox in 1933, the household’s furnishings were dispersed. This included many of the objects that appeared in photos taken immediately after TR’s inauguration. In the late 1960’s, these photos were used to create a list of objects needed to restore the room to its 1901 appearance. It was hoped that some of the original items could be located in the community and multiple newspaper articles were written about the search for these items.

Luckily, Martha Guldner happened to read one of those articles. Both Martha and her husband, John, had worked for the Wilcox family. John had started as a stablehand at age thirteen, shortly before the 1901 inauguration, and was still employed in 1934. Martha wanted the clock and a chair, also an original piece from the library, returned to the Site. Her family donated these items in 1970.

The clock is just one of the many original furnishings that found their way back to the Site. This is both remarkable and understandable. It is remarkable that, over 30 years later, people remembered the history of their items and that they came from the Wilcox house. But in some ways, it is also understandable because of the tight-knit nature of the Buffalo community. At any rate, the Site is extremely grateful that it helped these items find their way back to their original home.