Detroit Observatory Chronology: 1856-1873
1852-1855 | 1856-1873 | 1874-1894 | 1896-1916 | 1917-1960s | 1961-present
| 1856 | Observatory building is stuccoed |
| March | Walker organizes a second fundraising meeting in Detroit, at the National Hotel |
| August | Tappan travels to Detroit with
Hackley, Andrews and Brünnow for the American Association for the
Advancement of Education meeting where Tappan delivers an address: "John
Milton on Education;" they travel on to Albany for the dedication of the
Dudley Observatory, and then meet with Henry Fitz in New York George Saunders is paid $115 to furnish a stone pier for the Fitz refractor A stove is added to the west wing of the Observatory Tappan commissions Cropsey to do a painting of Genevieve Cropsey moves to England |
1857 |
|
| March | Franz Brünnow marries Rebecca Lloyd
Tappan; they take an 8-month leave to visit Brünnow's family in
Berlin James Craig Watson, Brünnow's student, graduates Cleveland Abbe enrolls at the University Embankment surrounding Observatory is sodded Wood house is constructed |
| July | First telegraphic cable is laid across the Detroit River |
| October | Brünnow returns from leave in Europe |
| November | New Fitz refractor arrives and is mounted in
the dome |
1858 |
Rudolph Brünnow is born Brünnow publishes his Tables of Victoria Brünnow begins publishing the University's first scholoarly journal, Astronomical Notices Detroit donors ask Brünnow to investigate how to telegraph the time from the Observatory to Detroit |
1859 |
Brünnow accepts position as Associate
Director of the Dudley Observatory in Albany, NY |
1860 |
Regents call Brünnow back to Ann Arbor in
response to an appeal by the Detroit donors Brünnow gets approval to purchase a chronograph from the Bonds for $360 Brünnow seeks Regental approval to purchase 2 1/2 acres of land to the west of the Observatory to build a residence for himself; although granted, a residence is never built Part I of Brünnow's Lehrbuch der sparischen Astronomie is translated into English Watson marries Annette Helena Waite of Dexter, MI and builds a house on South University Avenue |
| October | Brünnow reports that a telegraphic
connection was established with the Lake Survey in Detroit |
1861 |
Telegraphic connection is made with the
Litchfield Observatory at Hamilton College, Clinton, NY; longitude of the
Detroit Observatory is established Time service was probably established in this year |
1862 |
Watson offers his house for sale |
| March | At Brünnow's request, the Regents form a
committee to consider the expediency of relocating the Observatory Statue of Nydia is purchased Cropsey is honored by Queen Victoria |
1863 |
Henry Fitz, Jr. dies |
| June 13th | Tappan writes away to get Brünnow's passport renewed because Brünnow intends to travel alone to Germany on July 4th |
| June 25th | Tappan and his son, John, are dismissed by the
Regents; Brünnow resigns shortly thereafter James Craig Watson, Brünnow's student, becomes Director Andrew D. White acquires Cropsey paintings and later returns them to the University in 1890 |
| September | Watson discovers his first asteroid, named
Eurynome |
1864 |
|
| June | Repairs made and new poles obtained for
telegraph connection to the Observatory Telegraphic connection established with the United States Lake Survey to determine the longitude of Green Bay, WI |
1865 |
Brünnow appointed Astronomer Royal of the
Dunsink Observatory, Dublin, Ireland Brünnow completes the translation of his Lehrbuch der sparischen Astronomie into English Wooden columns are removed from the dome room, and another course of bricks is added to strengthen the exterior wall of the dome |
| August | Watson proposes that the Observatory be
rebuilt on the southeast corner of the University Grounds Jonas Phelps, who made the mount for the Fitz refractor, dies |
1866 |
East wing over Meridian Room is re-roofed and
repairs are made to the meridian circle telescope |
1867 |
Watson discovers asteroids Minerva,
Aurora Detroit honors Tappan by naming a new school The Tappan School |
1868 |
A director's residence is added to the west
side of the Observatory City of Ann Arbor improves the streets around the Observatory Watson publishes his Theoretical Astronomy |
| February | Tappan writes a letter in defense of Samuel F.
B. Morse's claim to have invented the electro-magnetic telegraph Watson discovers asteroids Hekate, Helena (named after his wife), Hera, Klymene, Artemis, Dione |
1869 |
Brünnow is elected a Fellow of the Royal
Astronomical Society Tappan declines the presidency of the University of Minnesota Watson observes a total solar eclipse at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa Longitude established directly with the Harvard Observatory |
| August | Bookcases are added at the Observatory, and a
case for the chronograph |
1870 |
Watson works on Zone observations for the U.S.
Coast Survey Watson observes an eclipse in Sicily |
1871 |
Watson discovers asteroid Thyra Brünnow expands and updates Brinkley's Astronomy |
1872 |
Watson discovers asteroids Althaea, Hermione,
Nemesis |
1873 |
Watson discovers asteroids Æthra,
Cyrene |
The chronology is excerpted with the author's persmission from A Creation of His Own: Tappan's Detroit Observatory, by Patricia S. Whitesell, ©1998.