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The Henry Draper Observatory, also known as Draper Cottage and incorrectly as the John William Draper House, is a historic house and local history museum in Draper Park off
US 9 U.S. Route 9 (US 9) is a north–south United States highway in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the Northeastern United States. It is one of only two U.S. Highways with a ferry connection (the Cape May–Lewes Ferry, between ...
in
Hastings-on-Hudson Hastings-on-Hudson is a village in Westchester County located in the southwestern part of the town of Greenburgh in the state of New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of midtown Manha ...
,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...
, United States. Its core is an
astronomical 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. Hi ...
built about 1860 for
Henry Draper Henry Draper (March 7, 1837 – November 20, 1882) was an American doctor and amateur astronomer. He is best known today as a pioneer of astrophotography. Life and work Henry Draper's father, John William Draper, was an accomplished doctor, ch ...
(1837-1882). It was here that he made
astrophotography Astrophotography, also known as astronomical imaging, is the photography or imaging of astronomical objects, celestial events, or areas of the night sky. The first photograph of an astronomical object (the Moon) was taken in 1840, but it was no ...
history, taking some of the earliest photographs of the
Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
to include identifiable features through a telescope in 1863. The house was declared a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 1975, and   on the mistaken belief the building was a residence of Henry Draper's father,
John William Draper John William Draper (May 5, 1811 – January 4, 1882) was an English-born American scientist, philosopher, physician, chemist, historian and photographer. He is credited with producing the first clear photograph of a female face (1839–40) and ...
(1811-1882). The elder Draper was in his time a noted scientist, active in a variety of disciplines, who was best remembered for improvements he made to the
daguerrotype Daguerreotype (; french: daguerréotype) was the first publicly available photographic process; it was widely used during the 1840s and 1850s. "Daguerreotype" also refers to an image created through this process. Invented by Louis Daguerre an ...
process of photography. He was influential in his lifetime, and was one of the last generation of general natural scientists before specialization within fields became common. The observatory was enlarged under Henry Draper's use with a second dome, and passed to his sister Antonia Draper Dixon after his death. The second dome was destroyed by fire in 1905, but was rebuilt by Dixon. The building was reconfigured in 1912 by Dixon for use as her residence, and it remained her home until her death in 1923. The building and the surrounding park, after protracted decision-making and legal issues, passed to the village of Hastings-on-Hudson, with the stipulation that the building be used as a museum. It is now home to the local historical society.


See also

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List of astronomical observatories This is a list of astronomical observatories ordered by name, along with initial dates of operation (where an accurate date is available) and location. The list also includes a final year of operation for many observatories that are no longer in ...
*
List of National Historic Landmarks in New York This is a list of National Historic Landmarks and comparable other historic sites designated by the U.S. government in the U.S. state of New York State, New York. The United States National Historic Landmark (NHL) program operates under the ausp ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in southern Westchester County, New York __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in southern Westchester County, New York, excluding the cities of New Rochelle and Yonkers, which have separate lists of their own. This is intended to be a complete l ...


References


External links


Hastings Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Draper, Henry, House Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) National Historic Landmarks in New York (state) National Register of Historic Places in Westchester County, New York U.S. Route 9 Astronomical observatories in New York (state) Museums in Westchester County, New York Houses completed in 1860 History museums in New York (state) Historical society museums in New York (state) Houses in Westchester County, New York