Overview Construction of the observatory at Dartmouth College was made possible by a gift from Dr. George C. Shattuck, Class of 1803, in 1852. Although the intended use of the observatory was for observations and instruction in astronomy, Professor Ira Young also convinced Dr. Shattuck to provide for additional equipment which would make the building useful for courses in natural philosophy and meteorology as well. Young began sending meteorological observations to the Smithsonian in the fall of 1853....