On the front page of the October, 3, 2007 issue of the Silver State Post was posted an article on the clock and the bell in the bell tower above their beloved city hall, entitled "Work is required to keep time flying". In the tower is a four faced clock and a large bell which rings at the top of every hour.
The clock is maintained by a Missoula company and wound Monday, Wednesday and Friday by a city worker.
Distribution and reproduction of archived articles at the Silver State Post website is prohibited so, instead, I've provided the story of city hall from the Deer Lodge Central Business Historic District registration form below and a link to
The Story on the Silver State Post's website.
City Hall
The war years put a damper on some construction in Deer Lodge, with construction picking up again around 1919. The buildings constructed around this time period were often civic oriented (i.e. City Hall and Elks Building), and they displayed classical elements. The Deer Lodge City Hall, designed by Butte architect M.A. Van House, was constructed in 1919 at a cost of approximately $75,000.00. Van House utilized stone from the Territorial Prison forms for the building's
foundation and footings (DLHPC, c.2000). City Hall is a two-story brick building with a bell tower and clock that is centrally
placed in the front. The tower exhibits a low-pitched hipped roof with wide eaves and a heavy cornice.
The building is long and rectangular, with a flat roof and a shaped parapet along the facade. Heavy concrete pilasters resting on square piers rise to support a flat roofed pediment below the roofline. The building has fixed as well as 2/1 and 6/6 windows, many of which are accented with stone sills and surrounds. The second level of City Hall has an auditorium with maple flooring, and this portion of the building was utilized to make clothing for the area's poor during the Great Depression.
From the NRHP Registration form