What’s That About Observing Tory?

For years I’ve been driving by the house where this observatory used to reside southeast of the intersection of Koke Mill and Wabash. I always wondered about the story behind the observatory and was sort of sad to see it was gone a month or two ago.

I imagined some armature astronomer, decades ago, building this house well southwest of Springfield to get away from the city’s light pollution of the night sky. The observatory, featuring its telltale dome, was attached to the house, something that would have been an ultimate dream come true back when I was really young and interested in the stars. Of course, in recent years the location has been all but overrun by the commercial growth of the southwest side and its accompanying lights. Still, I admired what must have been.

Thanks to the SJ-R for the real story which turned out to be much like the one I imagined. And I’m glad to see the old telescope is now a in new observatory out by Pleasant Plains. The sky is still pretty dark out that way.