From the Cass County History website:
Town Clock Club written by Lenore Hutchison
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The new Cass County courthouse had stood for about 10 years and there was still no clock in the tower.
A group of 18 ladies sought to remedy the situation and the Harrisonville Town Clock Club was organized May 11, 1908 with the purpose of raising funds to purchase a clock for the courthouse tower. Apparently there were 18 members who paid a membership fee of $1.00 each. Their meeting place was in the Ladies Rest Room in the County Courthouse! Meetings were held weekly at 3:00 pm, usually on Tuesday or Wednesday afternoons.
Harrisonville Town Clock Club in Historic Costumes (circa 1909)
Activities were planned for this group to raise money. Activities ranged from "Kid Minstrel" held in July 1908 to pie suppers, ball games, bazaars and an activity called the Poultry and Egg Proposition. The months of September and January were the only two months out of the year in which no activity was held.
By January 7, 1909, the ladies had raised $762.45 towards the purchase of the clock and proceeded to tackle the County Court for an addition to their funds. Their anticipated needs being about $1250. The County Court voted to give them $200. The money was to be available only when the clock was completely installed and in working order.
On February 10, 1909, with $962.45 in hand, the ladies of the Town Clock Club, having faith, awarded the contract for the courthouse clock to the Seth Thomas Clock Company for the price of $1231. The specification called for a "Tower Clock Having Four Faces." It was to be installed by May 11, 1909, their first anniversary.
Three pie suppers and a female minstrel show later, the money was all "on hand" with a surplus of some $60. The ladies were disappointed but their clock was not to be in place for their first anniversary . The newspaper lamented with them but expressed the confidence that they would soon be hearing the striking of the hours and half hours.
By May 20, 1909 the clock was all at the Frisco Depot and everything in readiness for the "expert clock man" , W.J. Buckley, representative of the Seth Thomas Clock Company. Work on the clock began May 26, 1909 when the clock was moved to the front door of the courthouse in preparation of moving the time piece to the tower.
Mr. Buckley later moved his workshop to the Patrick Building where he had a "force" of men putting the different parts together. The bell weighed 1200 pounds, each of the four dials contained 250 feet of white pine lumber, 12 gross of screws and 10 pounds of nails.
The installation of the town clock was completed on Thursday, June 10, 1909, and formally presented to the Executive committee of the club. A silver plaque on the clock frame has the following inscription: "Presented to Cass County, Missouri, by the Harrisonville Town Clock Club. Mrs F.D. French, President; Mrs H.B. Moody, Secretary, 11 May, 1909."