Peter Gottesleben was born on Dec. 31, 1834, in the Rhine Province, Germany. Today, 190 years later, his legacy endures in the Teller House lobby in Central City, where an impressive eight-foot George A. Jones Walnut Parlor Clock stands. The clock, inscribed with “Hense Gottesleben,” tells a rich historical and roman- tic story.
The “Hense” refers to Peter’s brother-in-law. After im- migrating to Quincy, Ill., and living there for two years, Peter and his wife, Elizabeth Hense, traveled to Denver in 1857 by covered wagon pulled by an ox team. Upon ar- rival, they opened a jewelry store on Larimer Street near the original May Company building that was constructed by Frank Kirchhof, another German immigrant who was influential in Denver’s early development. He built landmark structures like the Albany and Oxford Hotels and founded the Kirchhof Lumber Company, amassing considerable wealth.
While there is no direct evidence that Gottesleben and Kirchhof knew each other, they likely crossed paths through church or Denver’s growing business networks. Their connection is further underscored by Kirchhof pur- chasing the walnut parlor clock in the mid to late 1860s from Hense Gottesleben’s jewelry store on Larimer Street. The clock was likely a centerpiece in Kirchhof’s opulent home.
Manufactured by the George A. Jones & Company in New York during the early 1860s, the Teller House clock is one of the finest of its era. In a time when most clocks were imported from England, owning a precision-made American clock was a symbol of status. The George A. Jones & Company also imported the finest clocks and bronzes from France, Germany, Prussia and England and was renowned in New York City for its quality.
Legacy in timekeeping at Teller House
The Teller House clock is particularly special because of the engraving on its pendulum, which identifies both George A. Jones as the manufacturer and Hense Gottesleben as the retailer. Another fascinating feature is the pendulum’s mercury component.
Mercury was used in clocks of this period to improve timekeeping accuracy by compensating for temperature-induced changes in the pendulum’s length. As temperature rises and the pendulum rod expands, the mercury in the bob also expands, adjusting the clock’s center of mass to maintain consistent time- keeping.
As we welcome 2025 in, we honor pioneers like Peter Gottesleben and Frank Kirchhof, along with generations of entrepreneurs who contrib- uted to the growth of Colorado. Frank Kirchhof’s daughter, Bernadine Kirchhof, donated the valuable clock to the Teller House in the 1930s and stands proudly in the first-floor lobby. Its inscrip- tion commemo- rates the long journey to Denver by a covered wagon pulled by the ox team—a tribute to the Gottesleben- Hense family’s 1857 Westward migration.
Today, the clock continues to tick 165 years later, thanks to the dedicated efforts of Eric Chinn, Central City Op- era’s director of Historic Proper- ties, who winds it regularly, and the volunteers from Denver Chapter 21 of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors. Special thanks go to Chapter 21’s Randy Schnei- der, Charles Daldry, Mike Korn, Jane and Steve Stap, David Gies, and others who help maintain and adjust historic clocks, including the tower clocks at two high schools in Denver. The Chapter also maintains a list of clock repair professionals on its website for anyone needing repairs at nawcc21.com/business-directory
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