Who, What, When, Where, Why and How?

Cincinnati Observatory

Who?

            The Cincinnati Observatory was founded by a man named Ormsby McKnight Mitchel.  He was a professor at Cincinnati College and had inspired an enthusiasm in the public for astronomy through his public lectures.  During this time, there were only a few small telescopes in the country, but no big power instruments existed.  Mitchel interested many people in possibly building the first observatory in the U.S.  At the end of one of his lectures, he introduced a crowd of 2000 to his plans.

What?

            The site for the observatory was a four acre lot on the top of Mt. Ida, about four hundred feet above the city of Cincinnati.  The property was given to the Astronomical Society by its owner, Nicholas Longworth. 

When?

            The whole project was founded by Mitchel in 1842.  In the same year, he traveled to Munich to inspect a twelve inch lens of the highest quality.  In 1843, the cornerstone was laid by the former president of the United States, John Adams.  He had expressed a deep interest in astronomy and had tried to convince congress to found a National Observatory in 1825 and failed.  Although he was 77, and wasn't in the best condition and health, he traveled to Cincinnati for the founding because he felt that this was a big step in the U.S being internationally recognized for its intellectual and scientific endeavors.

Where?

            Site was located on the top of Mount Ida in Cincinnati, high above the city.

Why?

            Mitchel had brought out a major interest in Astronomy.  He also had a strong interest and had undertaken supervision for the construction of the project in 1842.  At the dedication, John Adams gave his last public speech.  After that, the mountain was renamed “Mount Adams”.  By the time the foundation for the building was laid, the whole country was in economic depression.  Nearly all of the money that was raised went to the purchasing of the telescope.  The whole project was without any money for its completion.

How?

            The telescope itself cost about nine thousand dollars, which was a considerable sum back then.  When all the money was gone, and the project seemed as if it would not be completed, Mitchel volunteered to become the director of the project, and raised some additional money for its completion.  He also paid for a lot of it out of his own pocket.  He relied on his salary from the Cincinnati College.  But soon after the Observatory was completed, the college burned down and Mitchel was left without any monetary support.  In spite of this, Mitchel still served as the director of the Observatory

Source:

www.cincinnatiobservatory.org