Benjamin Rittenhouse: Revolutionary Timekeeper

By Senior Museum Researcher and Interpreter Cynthia Winslow

As the nation commemorates its 250th anniversary, Macculloch Hall Historical Museum (MHHM) continues its America at 250: One Place, Many Stories series by highlighting another craftsman turned patriot.

This installment features an 18th-century tall case clock signed by Benjamin Rittenhouse (1740–1825). Dating to 1770-1780, the clock has an eight-day movement and stands in the room furnished as George Macculloch’s office, just off Macculloch Hall’s Center Hall. Its dial is inscribed, “Benj. Rittenhouse, Worcester, Fecit.” Interestingly, the word, “fecit” was used on works of art to name the artist, meaning in Latin “he/she made it”.

Benjamin Rittenhouse is remembered for his finely crafted clocks and surveying instruments, especially precision compasses. Born in Norriton Township, just outside Philadelphia, he was the younger brother of the renowned David Rittenhouse (1732–1796), whom Thomas Jefferson called “America’s first genius.” A self-taught clockmaker, instrument maker, astronomer, and later the first director of the U.S. Mint (1792–1795), David profoundly influenced Benjamin. Although no evidence survives of a formal apprenticeship or partnership, the brothers divided their time between farming their father’s 72-acre property and making clocks and scientific instruments.

Sometime before 1764, Benjamin moved with his parents to a 40-acre farm in Worcester Township, Pennsylvania, while David relocated to Philadelphia in the 1770s. In Clockmakers of Montgomery County, 1740–1850, Bruce R. Forman suggests that Benjamin lived in the shadow of his celebrated brother. Forman also credits Benjamin as one of the earliest American craftsmen to apply mass-production techniques to manufacturing.

Benjamin’s contributions to American independence extended beyond his workshop. In February 1776, the Pennsylvania Committee of Safety, chaired by Benjamin Franklin, appointed him superintendent of the Philadelphia flintlock manufactory. He served from 1776 until the operation was disbanded in 1779. During this time, Rittenhouse gave up clockmaking to dedicate time to supervising the manufacture of lock mechanisms which were both complex and vital to the Revolutionary War effort.

Benjamin is also believed to have fought at the Battle of Brandywine in September 1777, where he was wounded and captured. He was released in June 1778 following the end of the British occupation of Philadelphia.

After the war, Benjamin returned to private business, increasingly specializing in surveying instruments as westward expansion fueled demand. Donald L. Fennimore and Frank L. Hohmann III, authors of David Rittenhouse: Philosopher-Mechanick of Colonial Philadelphia and His Famous Clocks, dedicate one chapter to Benjamin Rittenhouse and identify several apprentices who trained with him, including Lewis Michael (1762–1852), William Lukens Potts (1771–1854), his nephew Benjamin Evans (1776–1836), and his son David Rittenhouse (1776–1826). While living in Worcester Township, Benjamin also served for about a decade as an associate judge in Montgomery County. In 1796, he was awarded the commission to produce the standard surveying chain for the Federal Land Office.

Despite these achievements, financial difficulties forced Benjamin to return to Philadelphia in 1807, where he remained until his death in 1825. Today, examples of his clocks and surveying instruments are preserved in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution and the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library.

Sources:

Bendini, Silvio A. “Benjamin Rittenhouse and His Apprentices and Partners”, The American Surveyor, (Vol. 1, No. 7), December 2004.
Fennimore, Donald and Frank L. Hohmann III. David Rittenhouse: Philosopher-Mechanick of Colonial Philadelphia and His Famous Clocks. Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library, 2023.
Forman, Bruce R. “The Achievements of Benjamin Rittenhouse, Colonial Clockmaker”, presentation at The National Association of Watch and Clock Collections (NAWCC) Ward Francillon Time Symposium, Philadelphia, PA, October 2021.
Forman, Bruce R. Clockmakers of Montgomery County, 1740-1850, The Historical Society of Montgomery County, 2000.
Smith, Robert F. Manufacturing Independence: Industrial Innovation in the American Revolution. Westholme Publishing, 2021.

Image Credits:

Benjamin Rittenhouse (1740-1825), Chippendale tall-case clock, 1770-1780, walnut, Macculloch Hall Historical Museum, 56.24.