Barnard Observatory is an academic building at the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...

Oxford, Mississippi Oxford is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, 14th most populous city in Mississippi, United States, and the county seat of Lafayette County, Mississippi, Lafayette County, southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis. A college town, Oxford ...

. Completed as an

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

in 1859, it was part of the astronomy focus that

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

Frederick A.P. Barnard had for the school. Due to the outbreak of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, though, the purchase of the observatory's telescopes were put on hold. Today the observatory houses the

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while the university's astronomers use Kennon Observatory. The observatory is listed on the

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History

Barnard Observatory University of Mississippi 2018 2

The observatory is a

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design and modeled after the observatory in Pulkovo, Russia.National Register of Historic Places, Barnard Observatory, Oxford, Lafayette, Mississippi, National Register #78001607 Chancellor Barnard commissioned a northern company to build the telescope. The telescope was designed to be larger than the observatories in Pulokovo and Harvard. However, due to the Civil War, the observatory ended up going to Dearborn Observatory at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

. Chancellor Barnard, who was fond of astronomy, designed the observatory to house the world's largest refracting telescope. He also stocked the observatory with other scientific equipment, such as a state of the art barometer. However, due to the outbreak of the Civil War, the telescope was never delivered. The observatory also housed the chancellor's family quarters, into which Barnard moved in 1860. With the outbreak of the

, the University of Mississippi closed in 1861 and Barnard left. Professor Alexander Quinche and Burton Harrison, entrusted by the board of trustees to safekeep the university, lived in the observatory's quarters. Due to Oxford's proximity to much of the war, many buildings in town and on campus were used by armed forces, including the observatory which served as a hospital. However, it was the former chancellor's relationship with General William Tecumseh Sherman that spared both the observatory and the university from Union troops burning it down. Writing to Chancellor Barnard, General Sherman explained his reasoning for sparing the observatory. In addition to the observatory's use as a hospital, it has also been home to the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the early 1900s, the Department of Naval Sciences, and the Alpha Xi Delta sorority. The chancellor's residence was relocated from the observatory in 1971. Sansing (1999), p. 315. Barnard Observatory currently houses the

, and the observatory is now listed on the

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* {{Portal bar, Mississippi, Astronomy, Stars, Spaceflight, Outer space, Solar System, Education, Science Astronomical observatories in Mississippi University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Mississippi Buildings and structures completed in 1857 Defunct astronomical observatories Buildings and structures at the University of Mississippi National Register of Historic Places in Lafayette County, Mississippi 1857 establishments in Mississippi University and college buildings completed in 1857 University and college astronomical observatories

History

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