Time Ticks on in Spillville at the Bily Clock Museum (Revised)

The history we experienced in Spillville, Iowa, was amazing. The legacy left to the City of Spillville by the Bily (pronounced Beelee) Brothers was well worth the drive to be able to experience it. In 1946, they purchased the building that now houses the clocks. It is called the Bily Clock Museum. Both brothers completed the fifth grade, but never traveled more than 35 miles from home, yet they left a legacy by entrusting their famous hand-carved clocks to the City of Spillville.

Bily Clock Museum

The Bily Brothers, Frank and Joseph, began carving on the family farm where they were born and raised. They began carving as a hobby while doing regular chores and maintaining a well kept farm.  Frank did the carving and Joseph designed, drew up the plans, and joined the wood pieces.

Wood samples from which Joseph chose woods
for clocks Frank would carve

World-Famous Czech Music Composer, Antonin Dvorak

This is the same building that the world-famous Czech Music Composer, Antonin Dvorak and his family, lived in during the summer of 1893. Dr. Antonin Dvorak came to America to be the director of the New York Conservatory of Music. Tired from a year's work directing the New York Conservatory of music, and homesick for his homeland, he found his way to Spillville,

1893 Summer Home of Antonin Dvorak and 

 

Home of famous hand-carved Bily Clock Museum

It was through a resident of Spillville, who had studied music in Prague, that he learned about this welcoming combination of people of Bohemian ancestry, who frequently spoke Czech. That is how he came to spend his summer vacation in Spillville. He wrote other songs while there and also played the pipe organ at the St. Wenceslaus Church.

Summer of 1893 in Spillville

(Click on any photo to enlarge it.)

Multiple organs housed in the museum included ones that were played by Antonin Dvorak.

Some organs played by Antonin Dvorak while in Spillville

The Bily Clock Museum Houses many interesting carvings.

The Creation clock was their first in 1913. It was carved of mahogany and trimmed in white Holly. They were 29 and 33 years of age.

During the winter of 1913, the second clock, the Hall clock was carved out of European black cherry wood. They did very elaborate carvings.

The Apostles' Clock

Carved in 1915 and 1916, this is the first of their creations to show a moderate amount of hand carving in proportion to the fretwork. The upper portion has five different tiers. The center section has a hand carved panel of the city square in Prague featuring the Astronomical Clock, as a tribute to their parents' homeland. Side panels show the Charles Bridge Tower, also in Prague, and the St. Wenceslaus Church in Spillville, Iowa. The base of this clock is inlaid with ivory and ebony taken from piano keys, while the oak panel depicts the return of the Prodigal Son. The rest of the clock is carved of white oak and walnut.

The twelve apostles move around the front of the clock past a figure of Christ, blessing them. The name of each apostle is carved at the base of his respective statue. The figures are each carved of boxwood, a very hard wood that was imported from Korea.

The Apostles Clock carved in 1915 and 1916

The American Pioneer History Clock

This is the clock that Henry Ford offered the Bily Brothers one million dolllars for in 1928, but they turned him down. This is the first original clock designed by the Bily Brothers and is considered to be their masterpiece. It took four years to construct from 1923 to 1926.

The clock stands over eight feet tall and weighs more than 500 pounds. It is made of European cherry wood, the base of walnut wood. The design is a series of 57 panels representing events in Amerian history. The base border panel shows a forest with medallions of Indian heads.

Historical representations which viewers may enjoy on the American Pioneer History Clock are as follows:

Carson and his favorite horse, Apache Pioneer woman weaving Spotted Leopard (warrior) Indian praying to the rising sun Indian Camp Lafayette Betsy Ross sewing the flag Cowboys Father Marquette The pioneer cabin - always room for one more Massacre - Black Partidge rescuing Mrs. Helm Emigrants	U.S. Army Soldier Battle of Tippecanoe Frontier settlers on a homestead The first President inaugurated 1789 Sacajawea leading Lewis and Clark to the Pacific Ocean First locomotive in U.S. for actual service January 15, 1831 Landing of the Pilgrims 1620 Landing of Columbus 1492 The First Ploughing Mayflower Gen. Sam Houston The Spirit of 1776 Labor Old Pioneers Independence Bell Fairy of the Moon Indian War Dance DeSoto sees the rising sun on the great Mississippi River A family of Pioneers building a home The first ploughing and mining Pierre Laclede	Signing of the Declaration of Independence, (with the signatures exactly the way the men signed them) Statue of Liberty - New York Harbor Black Hawk Chief Sitting Bull - The Great Sioux Indian Chief Puritans going to church Captain John Smith amuses Pocahontas with Toys Indian woman weaving a basket The poet scout Jack Crawford Buffalo Hunt by Natives

American Pioneer History Clock

The Parade of Nations Clock

Carved from 1932-1934, nine and a half feet tall, and carved out of butternut, white oak, and hard maple. After a few years of work, this clock was ready for display, but many changes and additions were made after that time.  Originally conceived, the clock was to represent many nations and religions of the world. At first there were 28 arranged on the platform surrounding the globe. As the years went by, additional figures were added, with the end result being 35, with each figure clothed in its native costume. The "Seven Ages of Man" from Shakespeare's play "As You Like It", revolve around the top. There is also an inscription stating, "Time is passing, clock is ticking to Eternity." Columbus, Tycho Brahe, and Galileo Galelei are also shown on the clock.

A Bible quotation, "A Nation Shall Not Lift up a Sword Aainst Nations, Neither Shall They Learn War" is on the bottom panel.The musical disks on this clock were ordered from a mail order catalog and from there they were imported from Switzerland and Germany. The disks are well over 100 years old. The photo below does not show the upper part of the clock.

Lower half of the Parade of Nations Clock

The Model of The Smallest Church in America

The model was carved out of mahogany in 1928, carved on a scale of one inch to one foot, and replicates St. Anthony's Chapel near Festina, Iowa. The original church has four pews and maximum seating capacity of eight people. It was built on a promise to God, made by a mother for her son. It is eleven miles south of Spillville.

The Little Brown Church

The model was made by the Bily Brothers in 1930 on a scale of one-half inch to one foot, about 40 miles southwest of this museum. Original was built in 1860. The Bily Brothers never saw this church. They carved the model from a postcard they received in the mail. Many couples recognize their model and agree the shingles, clapboards, and windows are carved to perfect proportion. The Little Brown Church is well known through song and verse, noted for the many weddings performed there each year. The Bily Brothers decided it would not be complete without a bridal couple and their attendants, carved out of Boxwood, coming from the back around the side. As they go back in the church you can see the pews carved and placed inside.

Little Brown Church (L) and Smallest Church in America (R)

On The Lookout Clock

Carved as a tribute to the American Indians and their way of life, the Chief, his wife, and son are on the lookout for the white settlers, who are depicted on the panel beneath them. Many symbols of Native Americans culture are carved on this clock, i.e. deer, bear, eagle, and squirrel. The base has a carving of an Aztec Village.

On the Lookout Clock

Other Items I found interesting in the Bily Clock Museum

An accordion donated by the H.A.Deane family, circa 1900, a vaudeville player with the Orphaeum and Pantageona Circuits. The second one to use this type of accordion lived 15 miles from Spillville.

Accordion circa 1900 donated to the Bily Clock Museum

Sign saying these dogs were hand-painted and made from wood; these dogs were ordered from Switzerland by the Bily Brothers.

Dogs ordered by the Bily Brothers

Actual dogs hand-painted and made from wood that the Bily Brothers ordered from Switzerland.

Actual dogs ordered by Bily Brothers

Displays Housed Outside

1860 Cyrus McCormick Reaper

Antique hearse

Antique planter and piano

Old U,S. Standard Voting Machine, Rochester, N.Y.

To fully appreciate the Bily Clock Museum, you really have to see it in person! Many of the clocks have musical movements. There are many things to see and their carvings are very beautiful!

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Feel free to leave a comment below.

Come back to see the 1800s Martin Bouska Log Cabin-School that we visited next after it was moved to Spillville and restored.

If you would like to be automatically notified when the next article posts, please go to my website and enter your email address at the top right. When you do this, you will receive an email with a link asking you to click to confirm your request.