Local Guides World
Andres Behrens
6 reviews on 1 places
Despite its modest form and obscure location tucked in a residential neighborhood in the City of Gaithersburg, Maryland, the International Latitude Observatory holds an important place in the history of earth science. One among a worldwide network of six observatories established at the end of the 19th century, the data collected by the Gaithersburg observers and at its sister observatories helped scientists better understand earth’s weather conditions and physical characteristics.
Following the 1889 discovery by a German scientist that the earth wobbles on its polar axis, in 1899, the private International Geodetic Association based in Potsdam, Germany created the International Polar Motion Service, which established six observatories around the world for the purpose of measuring the variations in latitude caused by the earth's wobble. Located in Gaithersburg, MD, Cincinnati, Ohio, Ukiah, California, Mizusawa, Japan, Charjui in Russian Turkestan, and Carloforte, Sardinia, Italy, all six observatories sat along the parallel of 39 degrees 08 minutes north latitude so that they could collect uniform computations. From 1899 to 1982, Americans observed polar motion at the Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory in concert with scientists around the world. The site serves as a reminder of the extraordinary 20th century scientific progress aided by unremitting international cooperation.
The Gaithersburg Observatory was designed by Edwin Smith, Chief of the Instrument Division of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. This agency, now the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, operated the International Polar Motion Service observatories in the United States. In 1891, Smith began conducting measurements of the variation of latitude from his home in Rockville, Maryland. He made nearly 1,800 individual measurements on 146 nights, until his regular work forced him to discontinue his observations. However, when the International Geodetic Association allocated funds for the purchase of land in Gaithersburg in 1898, it entrusted Smith with the construction of the observatory. He designed the small, 13-foot-square, one-story building to accommodate a large Zenith telescope manufactured in Germany. Operated by pulleys and wheels, the gable roof opens to expose the interior of the building and allow for stargazing. The Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory began operating on October 18, 1899. The six stations documented latitude variations by precisely measuring the location of a constant set of stars.
About 200 feet to the south of the observatory is the Meridian Mark Pier, a white metal pagoda-shaped object about four feet high by two feet square, which was used to align the observatory’s instruments. In addition, five U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey monuments occupy the observatory grounds. Set by the U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey, they establish exact geographic longitude and latitude points, elevation above sea level, and the direction of magnetic north. The Observatory RM-1 monument, placed in 1966, is still used today for positional testing of Global Positioning Systems (GPS).
The International Polar Motion Service program faced domestic and international troubles caused by international wars and economic depression. In 1915, economic constraints forced the Gaithersburg and Cincinnati stations to close. During World War I, the Charjui station lost contact, but after fighting ceased, the Soviets continued to participate in the program with the establishment of a new station in Kitab in Uzbekistan, USSR. While the Cincinnati station remained closed and was eventually dismantled, the Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory resumed operations in 1932. Despite the location of stations in two Allied nations and two Axis nations, cooperation between the observatories continued throughout World War II. Observations continued at Gaithersburg observatory until computerization rendered its use obsolete in 1982.
In 1987, the City of Gaithersburg acquired the property from the United States as part of its Historic Surplus Property
Following the 1889 discovery by a German scientist that the earth wobbles on its polar axis, in 1899, the private International Geodetic Association based in Potsdam, Germany created the International Polar Motion Service, which established six observatories around the world for the purpose of measuring the variations in latitude caused by the earth's wobble. Located in Gaithersburg, MD, Cincinnati, Ohio, Ukiah, California, Mizusawa, Japan, Charjui in Russian Turkestan, and Carloforte, Sardinia, Italy, all six observatories sat along the parallel of 39 degrees 08 minutes north latitude so that they could collect uniform computations. From 1899 to 1982, Americans observed polar motion at the Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory in concert with scientists around the world. The site serves as a reminder of the extraordinary 20th century scientific progress aided by unremitting international cooperation.
The Gaithersburg Observatory was designed by Edwin Smith, Chief of the Instrument Division of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. This agency, now the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, operated the International Polar Motion Service observatories in the United States. In 1891, Smith began conducting measurements of the variation of latitude from his home in Rockville, Maryland. He made nearly 1,800 individual measurements on 146 nights, until his regular work forced him to discontinue his observations. However, when the International Geodetic Association allocated funds for the purchase of land in Gaithersburg in 1898, it entrusted Smith with the construction of the observatory. He designed the small, 13-foot-square, one-story building to accommodate a large Zenith telescope manufactured in Germany. Operated by pulleys and wheels, the gable roof opens to expose the interior of the building and allow for stargazing. The Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory began operating on October 18, 1899. The six stations documented latitude variations by precisely measuring the location of a constant set of stars.
About 200 feet to the south of the observatory is the Meridian Mark Pier, a white metal pagoda-shaped object about four feet high by two feet square, which was used to align the observatory’s instruments. In addition, five U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey monuments occupy the observatory grounds. Set by the U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey, they establish exact geographic longitude and latitude points, elevation above sea level, and the direction of magnetic north. The Observatory RM-1 monument, placed in 1966, is still used today for positional testing of Global Positioning Systems (GPS).
The International Polar Motion Service program faced domestic and international troubles caused by international wars and economic depression. In 1915, economic constraints forced the Gaithersburg and Cincinnati stations to close. During World War I, the Charjui station lost contact, but after fighting ceased, the Soviets continued to participate in the program with the establishment of a new station in Kitab in Uzbekistan, USSR. While the Cincinnati station remained closed and was eventually dismantled, the Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory resumed operations in 1932. Despite the location of stations in two Allied nations and two Axis nations, cooperation between the observatories continued throughout World War II. Observations continued at Gaithersburg observatory until computerization rendered its use obsolete in 1982.
In 1987, the City of Gaithersburg acquired the property from the United States as part of its Historic Surplus Property
The Captain Robert Bennet Forbes House, also known as the R. B. Forbes House and Forbes House Museum (and formerly as the American China Trade Museum), is a house museum located at 215 Adams Street, Milton, Massachusetts. It is now a National Historic Landmark.
This house museum displays the history of an American entrepreneurial family involved in the China Trade, primarily in opium, in the mid to late 19th century. The house was built in 1833 for Margaret Perkins, by her sons Captain Robert Bennet Forbes and John Murray Forbes, and their sisters. It was designed in an unusual Greek Revival style by Boston architect Isaiah Rogers. It is now one of two surviving examples of Rogers' early domestic work.
The house was used by four Forbes family generations, until 1962. It was opened as a museum by descendant H. A. Crosby Forbes in 1964. Today it is furnished with the family's furniture, art, and American, European, and Old China Trade heirlooms. The museum also contains a large collection of Abraham Lincoln memorabilia collected by Captain Forbes's granddaughter, Mary Bowditch Forbes. A replica of Lincoln's birthplace cabin was constructed on the grounds.
This house museum displays the history of an American entrepreneurial family involved in the China Trade, primarily in opium, in the mid to late 19th century. The house was built in 1833 for Margaret Perkins, by her sons Captain Robert Bennet Forbes and John Murray Forbes, and their sisters. It was designed in an unusual Greek Revival style by Boston architect Isaiah Rogers. It is now one of two surviving examples of Rogers' early domestic work.
The house was used by four Forbes family generations, until 1962. It was opened as a museum by descendant H. A. Crosby Forbes in 1964. Today it is furnished with the family's furniture, art, and American, European, and Old China Trade heirlooms. The museum also contains a large collection of Abraham Lincoln memorabilia collected by Captain Forbes's granddaughter, Mary Bowditch Forbes. A replica of Lincoln's birthplace cabin was constructed on the grounds.
The Maclean house, also known as The President's House, or The John Maclean House, was built to serve as the home of the President of the College of New Jersey, which later became Princeton University. It was completed in 1756, the same year as Nassau Hall. John Witherspoon lived here from 1768 through 1779, during which time he served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence. George Washington occupied Maclean House in January 1777, during the Battle of Princeton and in 1783 while Congress met in Nassau Hall.
When Edsel Ford passed away in 1943, Henry and Clara Ford constructed this building to memorialize their son. It was based on a workshop that father and son shared above the garage at the family home in Detroit's Boston-Edison neighborhood, where the Fords lived while Edsel was a teenager. The short posts framing the door are from the original site.
A small outdoor park that runs between brickell ave and the waterfront. The park has a predefined path with workout stations featuring basic machinery. The park is also the home to the William and Mary Brickell mausoleum, two founders of Miami, the former being the namesake to the street and the later the namesake to the park. The bodies have seen been moved to the Caballero Rivero Little Havana cemetery due to the increased development occurring in the area.