PAOLI, Ind. (WDRB) -- Dozens of people gathered in Paoli's downtown square to watch as crews removed a piece of the courthouse's clock tower.
A crane operator lifted the weather vane and cupola off the top of the clock to officially begin the restoration project.
The clock was damaged when an EF-1 tornado touched down a half-mile from downtown on Aug. 7. The National Weather Service said at least three tornados hit the area that day.
"It almost tried to twist it, and then it dropped it down when it broke the beam," said Orange County Commissioners President Richard Dixon. "We're fortunate it didn't tumble completely off."
High speed winds broke a beam that was damaged years before in a fire. The tower has leaned east since the storm. Winds also damaged the roof and toppled chimneys on top of the building.
It didn't take crews long to lift the top of the clock tower and move it to the ground.
A crane operator lifted the weather vane and cupola off the top of the Orange County Courthouse clock tower to officially begin the restoration project. The courthouse was damage by a tornado in Paoli, Indiana on Aug. 7, 2023. (WDRB Image). Dec. 22, 2023
The rest of the clock will be removed over the next week. The entirety of the tower will be delivered to Cincinnati, Ohio. to be refurbished by the Verdin Company.
"They'll take it there, restore it, rehab it and they'll send it back and it will be replaced where it is now," Dixon said.
The clock's damage is just a glimpse of the disrepair that August tornado caused. Work is ongoing to clean up what's left behind.
"In a big way, people came together around that disaster," said Brandon Query, who came to watch the clock tower be removed. "It was sad, the loss and the damage that the town did sustain, but at the same time there was a silver lining within it all I think."
Other community members like Query came to watch the work on the iconic clock. For some, it brought a flood of memories.
"My 16th birthday, me and my twin brother got to go up in the top of that tower and wind the old clock up the way they used to do it," Billy Bostock said watching the clock come down.
"It's the logo for the foundation of our community, and I think that's pretty representative of what this courthouse means to people in Paoli and Orange County in general," Query added.
People said goodbye to the clock, but it will be back soon.
The $1.5 million project should be completed by next summer. The cost is being covered by insurance.
"If the building could talk, it would tell you a whole lot of history from Orange County," Dixon said.
Related stories:
- Clock tower at historic Orange County Courthouse to be rebuilt after damage
- At least 3 tornadoes confirmed near Paoli from storms that moved through early Monday
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