Boswell Observatory is located at

Doane College Doane University is a private university in Crete, Nebraska. It has additional campuses in Lincoln and Omaha, as well as online programs. History Doane College was founded on July 11, 1872, by Thomas Doane, chief civil engineer for the Burling ...

Crete, Nebraska Crete is a city in Saline County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,099 at the 2020 census. History The railroad was extended to the area in 1870, bringing settlers. In 1871, two rival towns merged to form a new town, which was name ...

. Built in 1883, it was primarily a time service

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...

and student teaching observatory. The first

telescope A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, absorption, or reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally meaning only an optical instrument using lenses, curved mirrors, or a combination of both to observe ...

in the building was an

Alvan Clark Alvan Clark (March 8, 1804 – August 19, 1887), born in Ashfield, Massachusetts, the descendant of a Cape Cod whaling family of English ancestry, was an American astronomer and telescope maker. Biography He started as a portrait painter and engra ...

. The observatory is still used by the astronomy classes and is open to the public at different times throughout the year. It is no longer in operation as a weather station, but has been preserved well. The building is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

as part of the

Doane College Historic Buildings The Doane College Historic Buildings are located on the Doane University campus at 1014 Boswell Avenue in Crete, Nebraska, United States. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district, there are three buildings included: ...

References

Astronomical observatories in Nebraska School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Nebraska Buildings and structures in Saline County, Nebraska Doane University National Register of Historic Places in Saline County, Nebraska 1883 establishments in Nebraska {{Nebraska-NRHP-stub

See also

References