Naylor Observatory

Naylor Observatory near Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, became the long-developed home of the Astronomical Society of Harrisburg, an organization founded in 1955. After an unsuccessful land purchase, the society acquired its present property in 1966 and completed its first building, the French Dome, in 1967 despite limited finances and a small membership. Over the following decades, volunteers and fundraising steadily expanded the site from a single dome into a broader observing center with additional buildings, viewing pads, and a growing collection of telescopes. Its significance lies in how a local scientific community gradually created a lasting center for public observation, education, and amateur astronomy in south-central Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania · United States