Powell Observatory in Lewis-Young Park north of Louisburg, Kansas, was built in 1984 by the Astronomical Society of Kansas City as a public observatory, member facility, and research base. A fundraising effort led by Charles S. Douglas secured major support from Marjorie Powell Allen and the Powell Family Foundation, allowing construction of the building, restrooms, and telescope systems. Dedicated on May 11, 1985, it took the Powell family name. Its main instrument, a 30-inch Ruisinger Newtonian reflector under a dome, is among the largest U.S. telescopes regularly open to the public, and the site has long served both astronomy education and amateur observing.