Morrison Observatory

Morrison Observatory, now operated by Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri, began at Pritchett College in nearby Glasgow and opened in 1875 through Bernice Morrison’s major gift to C. W. Pritchett. Its original dome was modeled after Harvard College Observatory, and its principal instrument was a 12.25-inch Clark refractor, later joined by a 6-inch meridian telescope. That telescope allowed the observatory to sell accurate time to a railroad and to time balls in St. Louis and Kansas City. After changing hands in the 1920s, the entire observatory was moved to Fayette in 1935, where it continues to connect 19th-century astronomy with modern university research.

Fayette, Missouri · United States