Salem's neon clock above Jackson Jewelers disappears for more than 3 months. Why is that?

This is part of an ongoing series answering "Why is that?" questions about Salem and the Mid-Valley.

The question: Why did the neon clock in front of Jackson Jewelers disappear for more than three months? We have the answer. But first, a little history.

The background: Holly Jackson was a Salem watchmaker for Pomeroy & Keene before serving in the military. He also was known as an equestrian expert, a member of the Oregon Mounted Governor's Guard, and an official timer for the St. Paul Rodeo.

Jackson enlisted in the Navy in November 1942 and was stationed in San Diego. He served as an instrument repairman at Naval Air Station Alameda, a base that played a critical role in the Navy's defense mission following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

He returned to Salem after receiving a medical discharge in the spring of 1944, and made plans to open his own jewelry shop.

Jackson signed a lease June 15 for 225 North Liberty Street, a space formerly occupied by a florist. It was more than a block north of State Street, then the core of downtown, and naysayers doubted anyone would venture that far to do business.

More: State Street in Salem doesn’t have a directional suffix. Why is that?

An advertisement in the Aug. 15, 1944 Capital Journal announced the opening of Jackson Jewelers, with a large selection of diamond rings and other beautiful jewelry.

Now, nearly 80 years later, the third-generation owned business continues to operate at the same location.

Why did the clock in front of Jackson Jewelers disappear?

The first street clocks in the United States appeared in the eastern region around 1870. They often would be in front of city halls, train stations, banks, jewelry stores and other public locations and businesses, a practice adapted from the public clocks of Victorian England.

Local businesses installed them on sidewalks just outside their front doors for advertisement. They would maintain the street clocks, also known as post clocks, as a public service.

Holly Jackson wanted one when he opened his shop but could not afford it. Pomeroy & Keene, his former employer, had one on State Street. By the way, that one still stands. More on that in a minute.

The exact installation date of the Jackson Jewelers clock is unknown. Statesman Journal archives show Holly applied to the city council in September 1945 for approval to mount an electric, neon-lighted clock on a post in the sidewalk in front of his business.

The clock became a permanent fixture of downtown until 1988, when it was temporarily removed during streetscape improvements.

The jewelry store, then operated by second-generation owners Philip and Ralph Jackson, wanted to protect the clock from construction equipment as the city worked on a sidewalk beautification project, adding decorative tiles, light posts, benches and planters.

The clock underwent its first overhaul, including a new face with Roman numerals, at that time. A month later, it was back to keeping time, albeit in a slightly different position on the sidewalk, about 8 feet north of the original location.

The Jackson brothers fielded some complaints about the change to Roman numerals. Residents lamented how they could no longer use the clock to teach their children to tell time.

Fast forward 35 years, and the clock was due for another overhaul, this one more major. It was gone for more than three months. Ralph Jackson and his sons, Tyler and Brett, who run the business now, did not hear complaints this time, only concerns about its whereabouts.

Salem Sign Co. did the restoration work, repairing the neon and metal sign surrounding the 36-inch clock and repainting it green and brown, similar to its original colors.

The clock's white face — with regular numbers instead of Roman numerals — shows up better now. More vivid neon colors, red for the business name, white for the diamond logo and blue for the downward arrows on the building side, have replaced the pinkish glow of the old neon.

Inside are all new parts.

A crew remounted the clock on its 10-foot-tall post before sunrise Dec. 27. Longtime Salem Sign employee Randy Russell climbed a ladder multiple times with a small paintbrush, meticulously touching up the underside where bolts attached the sign.

Oh, by the way

Street clocks harken back to when people relied on public clocks, either because they could not afford a personal timepiece or they needed help keeping time on their own if they had one.

Ralph Jackson shares an anecdote about his father and a man who once worked for the nearby paper mill — what became Boise Cascade — and would walk by each morning, take out his pocket watch, and look up at the clock at 225 Liberty.

One day, his father finally approached the man and asked about his daily routine. The man told him he set his watch by the clock, then used it to synchronize the mill's clock.

Salem has two other downtown street clocks.

The Pomeroy & Keene clock is at 379 State Street. It is the oldest of the three, dating to the 1930s. Holly Jackson worked at the jewelry store for 13 years, according to his obituary. He died in 1994, the same year Pomeroy & Keene closed. But the clock remains.

The other street clock, at 479 Court St. NE, was installed new in 1990 outside what was then Salem Clock Shop. Funds from the streetscape program were used to purchase the clock.

Capi Lynn is a senior reporter for the Statesman Journal. Email your "Why is that" questions to her at clynn@statesmanjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Jackson Jewelers street clock disappears from downtown Salem