The Harvard College Observatory was founded in 1839 in Cambridge, MA. During the 20th century research expanded with observatories in New Mexico, Peru, and South Africa using telescopes ranging from 1” to 61” in diameter. This collection contains technical drawings collected at Oak Ridge Observatory relating to many of the observatory buildings and telescopes.

This collection consists of personal papers of clock maker and astronomer William Cranch Bond (1789-1859) and his family, the records of the company William Bond & Son, of Boston, Massachusetts, some records of the Harvard College Observatory, papers of J. Morton Clinch, photographs, printed material, and medals and watches, dated from 1724 to 1931.