HOULTON, Maine — The town’s iconic clock tower is getting a makeover, including the addition of gold leaf paint for the cupola.
Mid-Maine Restoration, Inc. based out of Boothbay began working on refurbishing the clock tower July 5. Work has included scraping the clock tower and trim before painting.
Richard Rhoda, a local town attorney, has been working with County Commissioner Paul Adams of Houlton to see that the cupola to the clock tower gets a coat of gold leaf paint. The effort is being funded entirely through private donations.
Commissioners awarded the painting contracts to Mid-Maine Restoration, Inc. during a May 17 meeting in Fort Kent. The restoration firm was awarded three bids for painting projects at the courthouse — $35,615 for general painting, $15,985 for the cupola, and $6,745 for roof work.
Fundraising for the roughly $16,000 cost of painting the cupola in gold leaf is nearly done, but continues.
“We are closing in on our fundraising goal, but it will happen one way or another,” Rhoda said.
Rhoda said that when the clock was added to the bell tower in the 1890s, it similarly was done with private funds from individuals in Houlton with an eye to the future. It has been a source of town pride for about 125 years.
One of the more interesting notes that came about from the work on the clock tower is that the clock, facing to the east toward Community Park, contained an error that few people seemed to notice. The Roman numerals I and V that should have been combined as IV to represent 4 o’clock were reversed to read VI (6). Rhoda said he never noticed the mistake until he was taking pictures of all four sides of the clock.
Rhoda added that he also found a photograph from 1894 of the courthouse which showed how the clocktower appeared at that time. The number four, at that time, was depicted with four lines, IIII.
Donations still can be made for the project by sending checks payable to Vital Pathways, P.O. Box 743, Houlton, Maine 04730 or call Rhoda at 521-7298.
