Singer Castle Bells

Visitors approaching Singer Castle's South Boat

House immediately see the castle's five-story Clock

Tower. The granite tower and connecting bridge

were built at the time of the castle's construction

and Marjorie Bourne Thayer added the four-sided

wrought iron faced clock, along with the fifth floor,

to the tower during renovations in the 1920s. The

tower has a winding staircase with sixty-two steps,

six small landings and six large landings from its base

to the clock works at the top. Frederick Bourne

equipped the tower with a pulley system so that

servants could lift heavy items and guests' luggage

from the tower base at the South Boathouse to the

bridge that connected to the main part of the castle

and the secret passageways used by the castle staff.

The tower clock, designed by the E. Howard Clock

Company, has electric self-regulating clock works and

Westminster Chimes that ring on the hour, the quarter

hour and half hour. When it was first installed the

tower clock operated on Dark Island's old direct current

power system produced by the generator in the North

Boathouse. After purchasing the Island in 1965 Dr.

Harold Martin had electric power brought to the island

from the mainland and converted the clock to accept

alternating current.