Morrison Observatory 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. H ...

owned and operated by

Central Methodist University Central Methodist University (formerly known as Central Methodist College and also known as Central College or CMU) is a private university in Fayette, Missouri. CMU is accredited to offer masters, bachelors, and associate degrees. The school i ...

located in Fayette,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

(USA). It was named after Bernice Morrison who, in 1874, pledged $100,000 to C. W. Pritchett for the construction of the observatory. Half of that amount would go the construction of the telescope and observatory; the other half to a permanent trust fund. The observatory was built soon afterwards in Glasgow, Missouri at

Pritchett College Pritchett College was a small institution that operated in Glasgow, Missouri from 1866 until 1922. It was founded as Pritchett School Institute and became known as Pritchett College after 1897. History The first classes were conducted in the 1866 ...

and opened in 1875. A 12.25 inch

Clark Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educat ...

Refractor was installed in a dome that Dr. Pritchett modeled after the Harvard College Observatory. In 1876, a 6-inch Meridian Telescope built by Troughton & Simms of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

was installed and the Observatory began selling the time to the Chicago & Alton Railroad and various

Time Ball A time ball or timeball is a time-signalling device. It consists of a large, painted wooden or metal ball that is dropped at a predetermined time, principally to enable navigators aboard ships offshore to verify the setting of their marine chron ...

s in St. Louis and Kansas City. In 1922 the Pritchett School Institute failed financially, but in 1926 Central Methodist College, with some encouragement from Morrison and Pritchett, gained possession of the observatory "in order to restore its equipment and make use of it." Because it was awkward to have the observatory in Glasgow, which was 12 miles from the college in Fayette, in 1935 the observatory was moved to a high, unobstructed ridge about 10 minutes' walk from the campus, where it still stands. Harvard's Harlow Shapley was the dedication speaker on June 1, 1936. In 1961 the Central Missouri Amateur Astronomers built a 12-inch reflecting telescope which they donated to the observatory. It is housed in a building about 100 feet northwest of the Clark refractor.

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Article on Morrison Observatory from Rural Missouri Online

Forecasts of observing conditions covering Morrison Observatory. {{Coord, 39.15167, -92.69667, type:landmark_source:USNO/HMNAO, display=title Astronomical observatories in Missouri Central Methodist University 1875 establishments in Missouri Buildings and structures in Howard County, Missouri

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