Iconic missing clock found in Charlotte gets police escort back to Gastonia

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Neighbors in Gastonia, including former Mayor Jennie Stultz, have long prioritized getting a certain iconic clock back to their city.

“Our daddies and our mothers took us by the hand and took us into the bank,” Stultz said. “And we passed that clock. It’s been an important centerpiece of our downtown for most of our lives.”

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The clock sat in front of the Citizens National Bank downtown when it first opened in the 1920s. It was removed to keep up with the times in the late 1970s and was replaced with a much more modern piece.

“It’s just kind of been the mystery that went missing in Gastonia, and none of us knew where it was,” said Gastonia native Heather Burk.

At first, there wasn’t a lot of concern about what happened to the clock.

Two lawyers stumbled upon it in pieces at a local shop. They bought it for their practice and restored it before it changed hands too many times to count.

“This clock could’ve been thrown in a heap or in someone else’s city. This clock deserves to be back in Gastonia,” said Jim Morasso, who currently owns the bank building.

Through research and curiosity, he found the old clock at the corner of South Tryon Street and East Carson Boulevard in Charlotte’s South End neighborhood.

It’s quietly been resting in the care of Spectrum Properties.

“Spectrum has bequeathed our clock back to us, and she’ll go home. They just gave it to us,” said Stultz.

After several hours, crews loaded the clock onto a flatbed truck Friday morning, and police crews escorted it back to Gaston County.

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Burk and her husband are working to raise $20,000 to get the clock back in prime condition. They've started a GoFundMe to help cover the cost of repairs, which include fixing the stained-glass and polishing the bronze.

“We were very happy to get on board and help finally bring this home,” Burk said.

“We’re so happy that we have loaned it to Charlotte for a while, but we’re really happy to have her back in Gastonia,” Stultz told Channel 9.

Once the clock is restored, there is a big unveiling planned in Gastonia for next May, which will mark 100 years since it was originally placed there.

Cox Media Group