The clock faces were added as part of the steeple that Roland Mather funded in 1875, but it’s unclear if the church used Keely’s plans in 1875. The clock faces could indicate that the church used new plans adopted after 1865.
Mather funded the steeple, which included clock faces but no clock. His daughter then funded the purchase and installation of the clock, which she did in Mather’s honor. It seems Mather intended there to be a clock, but it is unknown why he didn’t fund the clock at the same time that he funded the steeple.
There is no record that Turner approached the Asylum Hill Congregational Society about her plans to pay for the clock. Given that it happened the month following Mather’s death, the donation could have been anticipated.
There’s no record of a dedication or a report of the clock first striking the hour. The existence of a memorial plaque, however, suggests that some sort of ceremony would have taken place.