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The Canadian Clock Museum started building its collection of Snider clocks in 2001, as part of its main focus on preserving and showcasing Canadian-made clocks. Research into the history of the Snider family businesses began at that time. Michael Snider, company founder Harry's younger son, was contacted in 2001and became a strong supporter of the museum's goal. He has provided a wealth of background information and materials, based on his direct involvement with the second company, the Snider Clock Mfg Co., from 1962 until its closing in 1976.

The museum itself currently (April 2008) has more than 150 examples of mantel, TV lamp, and wall clocks in its expanding Snider collection. The majority are available for the approximately eight hundred annual visitors to see. There are perhaps another two hundred models yet to find, based on several later catalogue copies provided by Michael Snider. Through this Community Memories on-line exhibit, people from around the world are now able to learn about the Snider Canadian clocks success story.

From February 25 to November 27, 2005 the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec (across from Ottawa) mounted an exhibit titled Cool 60s Design. Curated by Alan Elder, this exhibit highlighted many products designed by Canadians during the 1960s. Included as the only clocks, on loan from The Canadian Clock Museum, were eight starburst models made by the Snider Clock Mfg Co, plus Harry Snider's Scandia model wall clock. Three photos of those clocks are shown in Pictures 2 to 4 in this Storyline. The associated text panel for that exhibit is in Picture 5.

The Design Exchange Museum in Toronto hosted a DX National Design Conference in mid October 2005. In conjunction with the conference, their staff invited small and large museums from across Canada to submit one item from their collections that highlighted Canadian design. The resulting By Design exhibition, subtitled Historical and Contemporary Objects from Canadian Collections, was open to the public until March 26, 2006. The Canadian Clock Museum contributed from its Snider collection the black version of Harry Snider's 1957 model 505 TV lamp clock (Picture 6). Michael Snider was able to attend a public lecture that was part of the conference program.

Michael Snider and his family visited The Canadian Clock Museum in July of 2005. They were on their way home from Ottawa, where Curator Alan Elder had given them a personalized tour of his Cool 60s Design exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Civilization (see above). Michael is shown at the clock museum beside a display of Snider mantel and TV lamp clocks (Picture 7). In Picture 8 he is pointing towards the large, fancy starburst clock in the middle of the group. That model is one of Michael's own designs from the early 1970s.

The Canadian Clock Museum is proud to be able to promote the Snider clocks success story - the museum's new brochure has one of Harry's starburst clocks on the front (Picture 9). Allan Symons, the museum's Manager and Curator, often makes "show and tell" presentations about Snider clocks to groups whose members collect clocks and watches. And he always includes some Snider clocks when talks about Canadian clock companies are given to the general public.

An article based on this Community Memories project will be drafted for publication in the Bulletin of the Pennsylvania-based National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors. That organization currently has nine Chapters in Canada (Halifax, Montreal (English and French), Ottawa, Belleville/Kingston, Toronto, London, Calgary, and Vancouver).

Questions about Snider clocks can be sent to the museum through its web site at www.canclockmuseum.ca. We welcome your feedback.

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Eight Snider starburst wall clocks, 2005 exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau.
Photo summer 2005, clocks 1960s
The Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau, Quebec