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Melton Observatory

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SC Picture Project / Richland County / Melton Observatory

The Melton Observatory at the University of South Carolina in Columbia is the third observatory to be housed on this campus. The first one was installed on the roof of the Library and Science Building in 1817, now the site of Legare College.

Melton Observatory

Robert Brame of Columbia, 2016 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

The second, or “Old Observatory,” was built in 1852 and included a telescope with a 6-and-3/4-inch Henry Fitz refractor with an 8-foot-by-4-inch focal light. The telescope and much of the other equipment was made of brass, and during the Civil War most of it was stolen. After the war, the building (located behind DeSaussure College) was no longer used as an observatory. Decades passed before another one was built.

USC Melton Observatory

Jim Jenkins of Chesterfield, 2013 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Financial records show that the university was in possession of a “Hanahan Telescope” in 1923, though it was stored in the attic of LeConte College. Then-university president Dr. William Davis Melton campaigned to raise funds to build an observatory with a revolving top to utilize the telescope, but he was unsuccessful. Dr. Melton died in 1926, and two years later a friend of Melton’s donated money to have an observatory built in his honor.

The “Hanahan Telescope” – named for its donor Wilson Hanahan of Winnsboro – is mounted in the Melton Observatory. It originally possessed a Newtonian refractor, but at some point the mirror was replaced with its current Cassegrain refractor. The Melton Observatory is open to the public on Monday evenings.

Plan Your Trip: Melton Observatory

Where is Melton Observatory located?
Address: 1429 Greene Street, Columbia, SC 29208
GPS Coordinates: 33.997313,-81.026306
What else should I see?
McKissick Museum 0 mile
USC Horseshoe 0.2 mile
Lieber College 0.3 mile
South Caroliniana Library 0.4 mile
Show me more like this!
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    Melton Observatory Map

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    ABOUT US

    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

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    ABOUT US

    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

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