The farmer and mechanic., 1915-05-25
RUINS OF FIRST
ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORY
IN AMERICA
By S. r. WINTERS

4 n
old field pines, some three h,u5-..9
yards from the heart Of the [-r.,.
sity campus, there's mlssh4,..
heave in the earth surrounde3
sprinkline Of home made bricks T
unpretentious spot is the fracfr.rt
evidence Of the first astr0nofrii...
servatory established In Amor
connection with an insntutian az
learning
The late concentration of nnt8,
| opinion on the work Of Prof Eb.h4,
Mitchell through the destructa, =
M cunt Mitchell accentuates the efforts
! Of President Joseph Caldwell of rb.
| University. in the estabishment
| the astronomical observatory Pm
fessor Mitchell and President Ca1dU.ll
were members of the University ~
ulty at a corresponding time, ard both
| were interested in scientific ohs,rza
! tons through astronomical ln,rrn.
ments. The two each had tragic end
ings. Professor Mitchell lost his af.
| on the peak that bears his name
! President Caldwell died Of An n
| durable disease Of the stomach before
| the plans for his observatory had h-,r
COnSummated.
But his work as president of rh.
4
| maintain a private observatory Wer. ~
such a character as to perpetu4t,.. hI,
name. While on trip to Europe ~
| was seized with q desire to construct
a private astronomical Observatory ana
| immediately on his return 10 Chapel
| Hill he inaugurated plans for syeta-
matte study Of the stars. He vas an
expert engineer and his services Wer.
sought IN surveying the boundary line
| q
Carolina in 1918. His efforts We're
! crowned with a high degree of sue
cess and the achievement was an
added stimulus for him to prosecute
his plans in the construction Of his
! observatory.
The scientists eagerness in the de-
| velopment of a study Of the heavenly
bodies had previously expressed itself
{ A platform had been constructed on
the top Of his dwelling house from
, which ascent groups Of three and four
students could observe the actions of
: the stars. Doctor Kemp Battle slit
that he erected a sun dial in his gar
den which stood until the invasion y
the Federal cavalry. 1t was in 1880.
2 however that he determined TO con-
| Struct a building in which he could
2 use the astronomical instruments
$ brought from London. The instru-
: mentS consisted Of a meridian transit
! | telescope, and altitude and azimuth
{ telescope, a telescope for observations
Y on earth and sky, and an astronomical
4 clock.
The site chosen for the observatory
was On an elevated spot north Of the
Raleigh road and near the village
l. graveyard. The location is now desls
mated as being in Battles park and :
path has been cut by Doctor Battl"
- - leading to the crumbled ruins OF tins
: present-day curiosity. A guide post
- sign on the entrance to the park from
% the campus directs one to the taIn'
q traces of the foundation of the OBJ
servatory. Here in the wilderness
President Caldwell. Professor Mitchell
= and Professor Phillips wondered over
q the celestial phenomena.
= But the institution was short-liFed
h and the imperfections of the buildln-
Ii material soon decayed under the
stress of outdoor weather. The bnch-
in the wall began to crumble ant
the crude, homemade bricks OF tho9'
days we're very porus to the rains tn
historian says that .the planks IL 81.
Is fiat floor of the roof swelIed al.
le shrank, so that water tight joint
g were nearly impossible. Wealth
er boarding was tried to protect the walls
he and tin and. tar to shed the vat
er from the roof but in vain
er PRESIDENT Caldwell, in the mean
time, died before his efforts were mao
s. an enduring success. In Januai>
rs 1885, the instruments were remoNr
ig from the building. Tradition has
rs that the building was fired by son
IN mischeviOus student in 1898. Ih
10 sound bricks from the structure Wti
sc utilized in building a kitchen 7"
it. President David Swain on the i}
ig adjacent to the Episcopal church 1 =
n. decaying scraps that survived the II
a and the fgragmentary bricks. as "
to as the shrunken basement, are teSl
es monialeS bearing witness 10 the III
e. that the science of astronomy has be-
10 | systematically and intelligently Studir
Eli at the University Of North Carollnt
as
e. Wouldn't 1t:
or Philadel phia Ledger