In 2017, millions of people listened to S-Town, a riveting seven-part podcast from Serial Productions and This American Life that focused on one man: John B. McLemore.
In the podcast, John’s work as an antiquarian horologist was overshadowed by the shocking aspects of his life and death. This exhibit and the accompanying book highlight John’s superb craftsmanship in restoring these iconic clocks. The exhibit features examples of the finest 19th-century French automata, mystery, and industrial clocks as well as some of John’s astronomical works.
The National Watch & Clock Museum thanks Philip E. Morris Jr. and William R. Tatum for telling this part of John’s story and sharing the clocks he preserved for the next generation.
Entry to this special exhibit is included in the Museum ticket.
Purchase the book here and plan your visit.
Drone footage of John’s hedge maze by Coty Bateman
Host of the S-Town podcast, Brian Reed, with family and friends of John B. McLemore at the Museum on the exhibit’s opening day in July 2023.
S-Town is a gripping seven-part podcast hosted by Brian Reed that centers around John B. McLemore and the small Alabama town where he lived: a supposed murder and cover-up, a bitter feud, his struggles with depression and tragic suicide, tales of buried gold, and an exploration of the light and shadow of one man’s life. Click to listen to the podcast