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COLLECTIONS: 1 - 3 of 3

Collection of Edward Holyoke materials

Collection Identifier: HUM 312
Overview: Edward Holyoke (1689-1769) was the ninth president of Harvard College, serving for thirty-two years from 1737 to 1769. This artificial collection, dated 1721-circa 1780s, consists of an astronomy notebook and sermons written by Holyoke, a drinking tube fashioned from his watch case, a letter to Holyoke from his friend Benjamin Dearborn, and a letter to a proprietor of the Second Church of Marblehead, Massachusetts, from Overseer William Dudley related to Holyoke’s election as president of...

Records of Harvard College Observatory Director Joseph Winlock

Collection Identifier: UAV 630.10
Overview: Joseph Winlock (1826-1875) was an astronomer and mathematician who served as the third director of the Harvard College Observatory from 1866 until his death on June 11, 1875. The records document Joseph Winlock's tenure as director, and primarily consist of Winlock's incoming and outgoing correspondence files. The letters relate to Observatory publications, relationships with other scientific institutions, and discussions of astronomical and meteorological information. The records also...

Records of the Harvard College Observatory Time Service

Sub-Fonds Identifier: UAV 630.377
Overview: In 1872, under Director Joseph Winlock, the Harvard College Observatory established the world’s first public time service, which it provided as a commercial service until 1892. The Observatory sold its time service to railroads and businesses by sending hourly signals over Boston’s fire alarm system and distributing time across the region via Western Union telegraph lines; this work eventually resulted in the establishment of the country's first time zone. The Records of the Harvard College...