By Tim Douglass

tdouglass@pctribune.com

The board and staff of the Minnewaska Lutheran Home in Starbuck are redoubling efforts to raise funds for needed repairs to the iconic Clock Tower that sits near the facility on Starbuck’s Main Street.

Fundraising for the clock tower started in 2020, and about $13,649 has already been raised, but each year the cost of the work increases, according to board members Melody (Jackson) Sletten and Kayo Aslagson.  The needed repair is a total refabrication of the three-phase clock which fell into disrepair a few years ago.  Because of the clock tower’s unique design, all three clocks on the tower run from a single shaft.  That shaft connects to pear-shaped gear that connects to each of the three clocks so they run simultaneously from that single shaft.  It is that particular design that makes the repair more expensive, according to Aslagson.  

The renewed effort to get donations has also been expedited now because a local donor has pledge up to $5,000 to match donations made before December 15 of this year.  All donations are tax-deductible and the board hopes residents will consider a donation before the end of the year.  

The total amount needed to repair the clock tower is now estimated at about $31,600.  It was estimated at about $20,000 just three years ago.  “The price keeps going up,” said Michelle Ehrenberg, Minnewaska Lutheran Home Administrator.  “That’s why we don’t want to wait any longer to make the repairs and we need to seek donations now.

The unique “Cathedral Chimes” in the tower are in working condition and once the clocks are repaired, the chimes will be triggered at the top of each hour, according to Aslagson.   

History of the Clock Tower

The Clock Tower was built and presented to the Minnewaska

Retirement Home by Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Torgersen of Starbuck.  The Clock Tower was built on a solid concrete footing. The steel shaft rises 36 feet above the ground while at the base a unique stone skirting forms the background for the various insets on its sides. One of the three sides has an inset of Rudyard Kipling’s poem “IF” while on the second side is a painting in modern art titled “Star of Bethlehem” and on the remaining side are two smaller insets, one entitled “Spanish Music and the other “Victory.”

The Cathedral Chimes once chimed each quarter hour and beautiful music is played between the chimes. Appropriate Christmas music is played during the Christmas Holidays, while Church Hymns, Lenten Music, Patriotic and popular music is played at correct times of the season, according to a program published in August of 1968.   

The chimes and music have been recorded by an authentic bell carillon – some of these bells weighing many tons, it was stated.   The chime music is enriched by the addition of vibra-harp, which makes a wonderful combination. This equipment was built and installed by one of the largest makers of Cathedral Chimes in the United States.

The Clock Tower when first constructed at Minnewaska Lutheran Home soon became an integral part of living in Starbuck.  “(The Clock Tower) has been a part of my life for many years as our family had a grocery store on the corner across the street where the motel is now and I watched the entire construction process and as a kid that was something to behold, said Blaine Pederson, a native of Starbuck.  “The chimes and music mean a lot to me, the home’s residents, and to many in the community as well.”

How to Donate

Those wishing to donate can bring a check to the Minnewaska Lutheran Home at 605 Main Street or checks can be mailed to Minnewaska Community Health Services, P.O. Box 40, Starbuck, MN 56381.