Cullis & Gladys Wade Clock Museum
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
The Cullis & Gladys Wade Clock Museum is part of the Mississippi State University Campus. The museum is located in the University Welcome Center, inside the Cullis Wade Depot. The museum displays over 400 antique clocks and watches, the oldest dating back to the early 1700s. The museum is comprised of the clock collection of Cullis and Gladys Wade. During their marriage, the couple collected clocks from the United States, England, France, and Germany. The Wade's clocks remain in the Welcome Center today, where visitors can view them and hear them chime.
Images
Some of the clocks on display in the museum
The Cullis Wade Depot, which houses the Mississippi State University Welcome Center and the Cullis & Gladys Wade Clock Museum
Some of the ornate clocks the museum displays
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The Cullis & Gladys Wade Clock Museum is comprised of the clock collection of Cullis Wade and his wife Gladys Wade. The museum is part of the Welcome Center on the Mississippi State University Campus. The vast array of clocks and watches was collected by the couple during their marriage, which began in 1967. The clock museum honors the Wades and their contributions to Mississippi State University, as well as their love of clocks.
Charles Cullis Wade was a graduate of Mississippi State University in the class of 1940. With his electrical engineering degree, he worked in several different fields. He worked with cotton gins, saw mills, oil mills, and even served as a SeaBee in the Navy. In 1948, Wade moved to Bogalusa, where he eventually established a construction company with his new partner, Randolph Cassidy. In 1967, Wade married Gladys Valentine, who proceeded to volunteer as a Pink Lady at the medical center in Bogalusa for 35 years. The two had a love of antique furniture, and during their time collecting it, they discovered they also shared a love of clocks. They both loved collecting and working on the clocks, and several on display in the museum have been painted or modified by them. The first antique china clock the couple owned is also displayed in the museum today.
The museum displays feature over 400 clocks and watches from various time periods and countries. The oldest clocks on display date back to the early 1700s. Almost every American manufacturer of clocks is represented in the museum collection. Some of the manufacturers represented include Ansonia, Seth Thomas, Waterbury, Howard, and W. L. Gilbert. French, English, and German clocks are included in the collection alongside the many American pieces. Some of the clocks displayed were altered by Cullis Wade. He was known to include small additions in the clocks or hand-paint designs on their glass surfaces. Many of the clocks still chime today, although visitors report that few chime exactly on the hour.
Charles Cullis Wade was a graduate of Mississippi State University in the class of 1940. With his electrical engineering degree, he worked in several different fields. He worked with cotton gins, saw mills, oil mills, and even served as a SeaBee in the Navy. In 1948, Wade moved to Bogalusa, where he eventually established a construction company with his new partner, Randolph Cassidy. In 1967, Wade married Gladys Valentine, who proceeded to volunteer as a Pink Lady at the medical center in Bogalusa for 35 years. The two had a love of antique furniture, and during their time collecting it, they discovered they also shared a love of clocks. They both loved collecting and working on the clocks, and several on display in the museum have been painted or modified by them. The first antique china clock the couple owned is also displayed in the museum today.
The museum displays feature over 400 clocks and watches from various time periods and countries. The oldest clocks on display date back to the early 1700s. Almost every American manufacturer of clocks is represented in the museum collection. Some of the manufacturers represented include Ansonia, Seth Thomas, Waterbury, Howard, and W. L. Gilbert. French, English, and German clocks are included in the collection alongside the many American pieces. Some of the clocks displayed were altered by Cullis Wade. He was known to include small additions in the clocks or hand-paint designs on their glass surfaces. Many of the clocks still chime today, although visitors report that few chime exactly on the hour.
Sources
1. Cullis & Gladys Wade Clock Museum. Visit MS State. Accessed July 25, 2019. https://www.visit.msstate.edu/clockmuseum/.
2. Welcome Center & Cullis Wade Depot. MS State. Accessed July 25, 2019. https://map.msstate.edu/index.php?id=233#!t/1109:1/.
3. Cullis & Gladys Wade Clock Museum at Mississippi State University. Just Chasing Rabbits. December 21, 2018. Accessed July 25, 2019. https://www.justchasingrabbits.com/2018/12/wade-clock-museum-mississippi-state.html.
2. Welcome Center & Cullis Wade Depot. MS State. Accessed July 25, 2019. https://map.msstate.edu/index.php?id=233#!t/1109:1/.
3. Cullis & Gladys Wade Clock Museum at Mississippi State University. Just Chasing Rabbits. December 21, 2018. Accessed July 25, 2019. https://www.justchasingrabbits.com/2018/12/wade-clock-museum-mississippi-state.html.