CASSOPOLIS — When a metallic chime rang over downtown Cassopolis Thursday afternoon, indicating it was 2 p.m., County Maintenance Director Dave Dickey took a moment to listen. Until recently, he had not heard the sound in more than a year.

“You get used so used to the bell ringing, that you almost don’t hear it, but once it’s gone, it’s noticeable,” he said. “Now it’s back, ringing louder and bolder than ever. It’s a good feeling.”

After the Cass County Historic Courthouse’s clocktower sat out of order and in disrepair for more than a year, it is once again working and ringing loud for the community. Late last month, the clock was restored, with repairs costing $850.

“It’s working beautifully,” Dickey said. “This is an absolutely amazing turn of events because we wanted to save the historical value of that clock. It’s a beautiful machine.”

The clockwork at the historic Cass County courthouse was originally built in October 1899 by the Seth Thomas Clock Company and was placed in the courthouse the same year. While the clocktower appears to house four separate clocks, the tower holds one unit with four 46-inch faces with a rod connecting each face to the clock mechanism.

During its 121-year life span, the clocktower has been broken several times. However, when its hands froze in time more than a year ago, Dickey was told that it was beyond saving. He reached out to many to inquiring about repairing the clock, going so far as to send its motor to California, but all who looked at it told him it could not be fixed.

It was not until Sturgis resident Steven Van Zile heard about the clock and offered his services as an expert in mechanical clock repair that fixing the courthouse’s clock became a reality.

Having been interested in clock repair since he was a child, Van Zile said he was happy to work on Cass County’s clock tower, adding that just like all historic clocks, Cass County’s posed its own unique and exciting challenges.

“I enjoy working on [clocks]. They are a very fine piece of machinery,” Van Zile said. “It is very satisfying to me. I work on all types of clocks, and I like to help people enjoy their clocks, so I enjoy working on them and getting them to go.”

More so than the enjoyment he gets out of solving the puzzle of getting a clock to run again, Van Zile said he believes repairing vintage clocks is important due to their historical value.

“The historical significance is just like older cars,” he said. “They are a very nice thing to have preserved.”

Within days of the clock being restored, Dickey said he received several comments from county residents saying that they enjoy once again hearing the clock’s ring. He believes the clock is important both to residents and for preserving the history of the county.

“The courthouse is the centerpiece of the county, first and foremost, and the centerpiece of the village as well,” Dickey said. “It’s a historical marker.”

Now that the clock has been repaired, Dickey said he hopes that it will continue to ring for generations of Cass County residents to come.

“As long as there are craftsmen like Steve around, it could run for another 100 years,” he said.