College of Wooster

Department of Physics

“A small astronomical observatory on the College’s golf course near Wayne & Palmer streets”

Image: Post Card showing Original Observatory at College of Wooster — College of Wooster’s Original Observatory which housed an 1876 Cooke refracting telescope. Contemporary post card image. The right-hand building wing is the transit observatory which held instrumentation capable of determining accurate local time based upon star positions.

The brass 1876 Cooke Telescope. — The 1876 Cooke Telescope purchased for the College of Wooster, then moved and used at Freelander Park from 1963 to about 2003. The telescope is pictured here, on display behind Plexiglas, in the second floor atrium of Taylor Hall. Photo by James Guilford, January 2023.

It is understood that the old refractor from the original college observatory was moved to Freedlander Park as that observatory’s first telescope circa 1960 when Andrews Library was built on the site of the old observatory. The old observatory building was moved about a half block east and today is known as the Rubbermaid Building.

The telescope resided in the observatory for many years but was removed and put in storage under the old baseball stadium when Andrews Library was built. The Cooke was transferred to Wayne County Astronomical Sociaty (WCAS) in 1963 and used at the Freelander Park facility in public observing programming. After many years in the care of WCAS, Edward M. Eberhart refurbished the college’s original 1876 Cooke telescope to display condition and returned it to the college in 2018. The instrument is a 5-inch brass refractor with a hand-figured doublet objective lens and a German-style equatorial mount. The mount was driven for star tracking with a spring-powered clock drive. A display case was built for the telescope, a wooden facsimile pier attached to the wall, and the Cooke put on display with its mount and clock drive in the second-floor atrium of Taylor Hall at the College of Wooster.

The 1876 Cooke telescope on display in Taylor Hall at the College of Wooster. A display enclosure of curved Plexiglas®️ shields the instrument from dust and fingers. A wooden facsimile pier, attached to the wall, stands beneath the telescope and its mount. Photo by James Guilford, January 2023. — The 1876 Cooke telescope on display in Taylor Hall at the College of Wooster. A display enclosure of curved Plexiglas®️ shields the brass instrument from dust and fingers. A wooden facsimile pier, attached to the wall, stands beneath the telescope and its mount. Photo by James Guilford, January 2023.

A new, much more humble observatory was completed in January of 2013. A 12-inch Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope installed in the new facility. Occasional public nights are offered.

A post card image from the early 1900s, postmarked 1911, depicts the College of Wooster's observatory, the second, smaller dome on the left on good view here. — *A post card image from the early 1900s, postmarked 1911, depicts the College of Wooster’s observatory, the second, smaller dome on the left on good view here.*

Mike Franks April 10, 2022 / 10:21 am

What happened to the old refractor that was transferred to Freedlander Park?

- James m Davis August 22, 2022 / 4:57 pm
  
  The College of Wooster’s Facilities Opertions Projects Department along with a local man mounted the refractor telescope in the 2nd floor of Taylor Hall. We enclosed the unit for protection and for others to enjoy its beauty. The history of this awesome this telescope was noted with a plaque so all visitors to view. Jim Davis, past Project Manager, COW
  
ewalton47 August 19, 2022 / 7:32 am

I remember when the 6″ Cook refractor & equatorial mount, fabricated in brass, was completely refurbished by Cliff Barnes from the local astronomical group, and housed in a rolloff observatory in Freedlander Park. The group (WCAS) replaced the Cook with modernized GOTO-capabilities and a larger scope several years ago. I’d guess they returned the Cook refractor to the College of Wooster. It’s very much an “antique” by today’s standards, but was a beautiful instrument all the same. Barnes was a skilled machinist as a career employee of Akron Brass in Wooster and essentially “saved” the original scope, which had fallen into serious disrepair when it was recovered in the early 60’s. Having left the area many years ago, I have lost contact with any of the original members. Sounds like the WCAS is at least nominally active these days. – Rick Walton