Webb C. Ball was a native of the Fredericktown area before opening his jewelry store in Cleveland, Ohio. After a tragic railroad accident in Kipton, Ohio, in 1891, he was contracted by the railroad to standardize the time of 125,000 miles of railway in the U.S., Canada and Mexico and to provide a dependable timepiece that station managers and conductors could use to ensure proper time. This clock was Webb’s design and was cast in 1896; it weighs 2,500 pounds and is 16 feet tall. It stood outside Ball Jewelry store from 1886 to 2007, when it was donated to the Fredericktown Area Historical Society and moved to Ball’s hometown.