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Lowell City Hall Clocktower Dedicated to the Man Who Kept the Clock Ticking for Decades — Wally Burns

Once a week for nearly 40 years, Wally Burns would climb the 71-step spiral staircase that leads to the City Hall clocktower.
Family and friends of the late Wally Burns stand together beneath the clocktower at Lowell City Hall, which was dedicated to Burns earlier this month. Burns was a decorated World War II veteran who spent 38 years working for the City of Lowell. Burns would climb once a week up the 71 steps in the 180-foot clocktower to manually reset the weight that makes the clock tick. (Photo Courtesy City of Lowell)

LOWELL — Once a week for nearly 40 years, Wally Burns would climb the 71-step spiral staircase that leads to the City Hall clocktower.

Once inside the 180-foot structure, he would manually reset a 30-pound weight that descended from a cable. The weight powered the 6-foot-long minute hand and 4-foot-long hour hand, and the weekly reset ensured the tower was always right on time.

On Saturday, July 18, the City dedicated the clocktower to Burns, a decorated World War II veteran who worked for Lowell from 1957 to 1995. He passed away on Dec. 11, 2018, at age 91.

“Wally gave so much to this city. Today, we ensure that his contributions will always be remembered. Every time we glance toward this tower we will be reminded of a man who truly made every moment count,” said Mayor Erik Gitschier told the gathering, including some of Burns’ five children, eight grandchildren and extended family. “May it serve not only as a tribute to his legacy, but also as an inspiration to future generations to lead with integrity, compassion, and a deep love for our City.”

A plaque in Burns’ honor was placed on the wall near the third-floor door that leads to the clocktower. 

Maintenance Manager Dan Kelleher now resets the weight, by motor instead of by hand.

City Councilors Rita Mercier, Sean McDonough and Sidney Liang attended the dedication. Councilor Mercier knew Burns during his years spent working for the City, and she said he was a dedicated, model employee.

Two of Burns’ eight grandchildren spoke during the dedication ceremony, remembering their grandfather as a loving family man, who treasured his role taking care of City Hall. 

“He took great pride in his job because he knew people depended on that clock every day,” said granddaughter Avery Burns. “One story that really captures who he was is how, after a snowstorm, he walked all the way from his house in Pawtucketville to City Hall, with my aunt by his side, just to shovel the front steps before anyone arrived. That says everything you need to know about the kind of person he was. He never looked for recognition. He simply cared about doing the job well and taking care of the city he loved.”

“Wally Burns was a decorated World War II veteran who made it home and served his hometown for nearly four decades before retiring. He set an example of true dedication to the community while working as a custodian in Lowell City Hall,” said City Manager Thomas A. Golden, Jr. “I want to thank the entire Burns family for the contributions Wally made, and for his dedication.”

The late Wally Burns cares for the clock mechanisms in the top of the Lowell City Hall clocktower in this undated photo. Burns worked as the Lowell City Hall custodian from 1957 to 1995, and during that time climbed into the clocktower weekly to manually reset the mechanisms that keep the clock ticking. (Photo Courtesy Lowell Folklife Collection, Library of Congress)
This plaque located near the third-floor door that provides access to the clocktower dedicates the tower in memory of Wally Burns, who kept the clock ticking for decades. (Photo Courtesy City of Lowell)
The clocktower was unofficially called the Wally Burns Clocktower during the decades that Burns spent keeping it ticking as the Lowell City Hall custodian. The sign in this undated photo is no longer visible, but a plaque in Burns’ memory has been installed nearby in a public portion of City Hall. (Photo Courtesy Lowell Folklife Collection, Library of Congress)
Burns’ family and friends get a look at the spiraling 71-step staircase that Burns would climb once a week to manually reset the mechanisms that keep the clock ticking. (Photo Courtesy City of Lowell)
A view inside the clock, which is located atop City Hall’s 180-foot clocktower. (Photo Courtesy City of Lowell)
A portion of the timekeeping mechanism inside the top of the clocktower. The clock’s 6-foot minute hands and 4-foot hour hands are powered by a 30-pound weight that slowly drops down through the clocktower. Wally Burns would climb to the top of the tower to manually reset that weight once a week during his 38 years working for the City of Lowell. (Photo Courtesy City of Lowell)
Wally Burns works on a portion of the timekeeping mechanism inside the clock in this undated photo. (Photo Courtesy Lowell Folklife Collection, Library of Congress)
Wally Burns left behind five children, eight grandchildren and a large extended family. Family members stand near a plaque dedicating the Lowell City Hall clocktower to Burns on City Hall’s third-floor. (Photo Courtesy City of Lowell)

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