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Wednesday, August 22, 2012

McKim Observatory

Out for an evening drive and a stop at the local ice cream shop The Dairy Castle. 
 We usually "splurge" on a baby sundae.  
Most of their dishes are big enough for 2 people to share and still consume too many calories!  


After enjoying the sundae we decided to drive home a different road . 
We saw this white building down a street and wondered what it was.  
Much to our surprise we came upon an observatory!  
The date on the building was 1884.  
As soon as we got home we whipped out the iPads and looked it up. 
Here's what we found.

McKim Observatory    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McKim_Observatory  
is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by DePauw University. Built in 1884, it is located in    GreencastleIndiana (USA)






The observatory is named after Robert McKim, who presented to the observatory a complete astronomical outfit at a cost of over $10,000.[
McKim was born in County TyroneIreland, on May 24, 1816, and died in Madison, Indiana, May 9, 1887. After completing his apprenticeship as a stonemason in Ireland, he emigrated to the United States, worked for a time in Philadelphia, and moved to Madison, Indiana, in 1837. In 1855, he left stone masonry and established himself in the coal business. Income from investments in real estate enabled him to make investments in manufacturing enterprises which did well
McKim was always a lover of astronomical studies, and, after his investment income was sufficient, he purchased one of the best telescopes in the United States for a private observatory adjoining his residence. Besides De Pauw, public charities and other institutions of learning also benefited by his bequests.


Hope you enjoyed this visit to Greencastle and a peice of it's history.

Blessings, Debbie


Linking with Outdoor Wednesday

2 comments:

Ann said...

What a great looking building. Love the original picture. Would LOVE to go there, hopefully it is still operating.
ann

joanne said...

Both buildings are adorable for different reasons....the ice cream parlor is so neat and tidy, and the observatory seems so tiny....