A rare tall case musical clock made by famed Lancaster clockmaker Martin Shreiner will be on exhibit at Historic Rock Ford's John J. Snyder Jr. Gallery of Early Lancaster County Decorative Arts starting on Friday, April 1, the opening day of the museum's 2022 season. The clock is on loan from John F. Pyfer Jr. and Carol T. Pyfer of Willow Street, who have had the clock fully restored so that it is once again fully operable and plays seven different tunes.

In the early 19th century, musical clocks were very rare and quite expensive. This clock, originally made for and owned by the Shreiner family, represents one of the few surviving Martin Shreiner musical clocks that is in operable condition. Shreiner, who is noted for having numbered the dials of all of his clocks in the order in which they were made, numbered this clock 317. It is believed to have been made around 1830. Its case is made of cherry wood in the Pennsylvania, Hepplewhite style and is unusually tall with both an upper short door and a lower full door.

Shreiner was born on North Queen Street in Lancaster in 1769. He opened a clockmaking shop in Lancaster in 1791 and had a long and distinguished career in clockmaking, with his sons Martin Jr. and Philip eventually joining him in the family business. He died at 97 years of age and was buried at Shreiner's cemetery at the corner of West Chestnut and Mulberry streets, which he had founded in 1836.

Located at 881 Rockford Road, Lancaster, Historic Rock Ford comprises the circa 1794 General Edward Hand Mansion and the John J. Snyder, Jr. Gallery of Early Lancaster County Decorative Arts. It will be open for tours from April 1 through Sunday, Oct. 30. Admission information may be found at http://www.historicrockford.org or http://www.rockford.yapsody.com.