Do You Carry a Pocket Watch in Your Impression?

[Tsalagidave]

The Pocket watch and the Almanac are the two common items I rarely see living historians pack in their kit. Here's a little article on how people kept time in the Old West.

Denver, Colorado – 1859

The pre-dawn air was still in the small bedroom of Clell Garrett's farmhouse as he rose to greet the day. The dogs barked at a passing coyote as the chickens began to stir from their roost. He stretched while taking in a deep breath of cool morning air, then took up his matchsafe from the bed stand. The flare of a fuzee created a hundred dancing shadows before setting the room into the warm glow from the chamberstick. He then carried the light out into the front room where kindling was set in the charcoal stove and the coffee pot put to boil. Clell used this time to let out the hens, feed the stock, attend to his morning necessary and wash up for the day.  Soon, the coffee pot was at a rolling boil as the rich aroma of ground Brazilian beans filled the air.


The young farmer settled the grounds, filled his cup and peered out the back window toward the growing light of the eastern sky. An almanac hung from a nail on the doorframe. Fishing out his pocket watch, he checked the almanac date and set down on the back porch to set the time and rewind. He savored the hot brew as the first beams of a golden sunrise peered over the plains bathing him in a warm caress. With the sun now cresting over the horizon, he set his watch in motion and stood with the tiny ticking cadence to face another long day. He finished his cup while also setting the mantle clock in the main room. Coming out of the front door, there were the Rockies in their bronze and purple majesty.  The farm was awake and the good earth beckoned that her fertile fields be tilled and sowed once more. With so much work to be done, Clell stepped forward with a smile to accept that challenge as the door closed softly behind him.

(click link to see the full article)

https://www.frontieramericanillustratednews.com/post/keeping-time-in-the-old-west-why-you-should-still-carry-an-almanac

-Dave

[Books OToole]

I've done living history presentations for over 40 years.  Time periods from 1812 to 1898.
I am particularly interested in EDC through the ages.

The attachment is EDC for my 1895 Undertaker.  All the items appear in the 1895 Montgomery Ward catalog.

Books

[Tsalagidave]

This is a great array of everyday items and it really brings to light the everyday items that were so necessary to everyday life.

-Dave

[Major 2]

Is that an old leather cased reel type tape measure ?

Very cool first carry impression

[Books OToole]

Is that an old leather cased reel type tape measure ?

Yes it is.  More of a carpenters tool, but I didn't have a cloth tailor's tape measure. 

Books

[Dave T]

Back when I was doing Living History I carried what one watch collector called a "Turnip Watch". It was big and thick without a closable lid and it wound with a key. Made in 1881 and had a coin silver case.

Sadly I sold it in a fit of, 'I gotta get rid of some of this stuff'.

Dave

[Tsalagidave]

Back when I was doing Living History I carried what one watch collector called a "Turnip Watch". It was big and thick without a closable lid and it wound with a key. Made in 1881 and had a coin silver case.

Sadly I sold it in a fit of, 'I gotta get rid of some of this stuff'.

Dave

But you still have an impressive collection pard.
It probably looked like this.


-Dave. R

[River City John]

Back when I was doing Living History I carried what one watch collector called a "Turnip Watch". It was big and thick without a closable lid and it wound with a key. Made in 1881 and had a coin silver case.

Sadly I sold it in a fit of, 'I gotta get rid of some of this stuff'.

Dave

Want to own another one? Hampdon Watch Co., 1878, Coin silver case, 7 jewel, runs nicely.

[Major 2]

This is mine, it was my Dads circa 1912, as given him  by his Dad

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Yes it is.  More of a carpenters tool, but I didn't have a cloth tailor's tape measure. 

Books

Isn't being an undertaker kind of related to carpentry? He has to measure the customer to find just the right pine boards!

[Jeremiah Jones]

My pocket watch is not only suitable or NCOWS, it is pretty much my everyday watch.

[Tsalagidave]

These are some beautiful specimens.

-Dave

[Professor Marvel]

Want to own another one? Hampdon Watch Co., 1878, Coin silver case, 7 jewel, runs nicely.

Oh My Dear RCJ

Are you by chance offering this jewel up for sale?
If so please pm me!

Yhs
Prof ( Love a good watch) Marvel

[Abilene]

My watch is a modern electric, but looks better than most modern watches IMO.  As long as I don't open it  .  It was $35 at Walmart 20 years ago.  Have not seen any more like it.  The chain and railroad lantern fob was a door prize years ago and is worth a lot more than the watch.   

[River City John]

Dear Professor Marvel,
I just noticed your post above and the pm.

Yes, pm sent.

RCJ

[Oregon Bill]

Books, is that cased item hard right at the middle of the image an apparatus related to the consumption of tobacco? Looks a wee bit like a very small meerschaum pipe, but I can't make out a bowl.

[Professor Marvel]

My Dear Bill

While I am not Books, I will throw my opinion into the ring!

I believe the device is a meerschaum and "something" ( ie correct plastic for the era ) cigar holder.
As a former dedicated pipe smoker and tobacco accouterments affectianato I recognize the holder, and it is placed amongst the other cigar paraphernalia, to wit, a cigar case, and a  cigar cutter.

A very nice assortment and an excellent tableau! I was actually wondering why Books would carry spare buttons, and I finally realized they were attached to the shirt!

I need either new glasses or a new brain...

Yhs
Prof ( former amateur tobacconist ) Marvel

[Kent Shootwell]

I'm another one that carries a pocket watch a lot of the time. depending on the day it could be any of these. And I have a pair of old spectacles that I fitted current lens to to wear when I want to really get into it.
IMG_0702 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr
The hunter case is a Waltham, the leather strapped is my grandfathers Illinois railroad watch, a Hamilton in the middle and to the left a Walmart electric.
The glasses are all old ones from with the one on the left having current lens's.

[Books OToole]

Books, is that cased item hard right at the middle of the image an apparatus related to the consumption of tobacco? Looks a wee bit like a very small meerschaum pipe, but I can't make out a bowl.

Professor Marvel nailed it.  It is indeed a Meerschaum cigar holder.
(I have another smaller one that fits Marsh Wheeelings perfectly.)

The buttons are attached to the hand sewn linen duster made from a (antique store find) table cloth.

Since this thread is ostensibly about pocket watches, maybe we should start another one on pipes, cigars and tobacco paraphernalia.

Books