With its tall, regal statute and chiming bell, the Samford clock tower is one of the most iconic images on Auburn’s campus. But few have seen the inner workings of the famed tower. A small wooden door in the attic of Samford Hall leads to a set of steep stairs that if followed, leads to more stairs and rooms that house the clocks and bell.
The first story is now an empty room, but it used to house the original 1889 Seth Thomas Clockworks. The Clockworks were powered by gravity and descending weights, which were hand cranked every seven to eight days.
In 1993, the Clockworks was replaced with an electronic one, while the clock faces were replaced in 1994. The original Clockworks and one of the original clock faces now sit in the Samford lobby.
Above the empty room sits the original bell, which was commissioned in 1889. Weighing 1,500 pounds, the bell is hit each hour by an electronic hammer; however, the chimes heard on the quarter hour and the noon fight song are played using an electronic carillon.
One story above the bell is a room with the clock faces. All four faces can be pulled back from their opening, offering stunning views for the tower’s visitors. While the tower is closed to the public, several visitors through the years have been in the tower, leaving behind their signatures on the backs of the clock faces.
