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Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory
The Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory in Milton, Massachusetts is the foremost structure associated with the history of weather observations in the United States. Located atop Great Blue Hill about 10 miles south of Boston, Massachusetts, it is home to the oldest continuous weather record in North America, and was the location of the earliest kite soundings of the atmosphere in North America in the 1890s, as well as the development of the radiosonde in the 1930s.
Founded by Abbott Lawrence Rotch in 1884, the observatory took a leading role in the newly emerging science of meteorology and was the scene of many of the first scientific measurements of upper atmosphere weather conditions, using kites to carry weather instruments aloft. Knowledge of wind velocities, air temperature and relative humidity at various levels came into use as vital elements in weather prediction due to techniques developed at this site. By 1895 the observatory was the source of weather forecasts of remarkable accuracy. On August 4, 1894 the first atmospheric sounding in the world was accomplished at the observatory, with a weather kite carrying a thermograph 2,030 feet above sea level. On October 8, 1896, a record of 8740 feet (2,665 m) was achieved for a weather kite. During the Great New England Hurricane of 1938, the observatory measured the strongest wind gust ever directly measured and recorded in a hurricane at 186 mph (299 km/h).
The observatory remains active to this day, continuing to add to its database of weather observations now more than one hundred years old, and stands as a monument to the science of meteorology in the United States.
The Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory was founded by American meteorologist Abbott Lawrence Rotch in 1885. By the time he graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1884, Rotch had conceived and carried into execution his plans for the erection of a meteorological observatory on the summit of Great Blue Hill, ten miles south of Boston, Massachusetts in the Blue Hills Reservation, a 7,000-acre (24 km²) public park managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Rotch chose the site because the elevation of 635 feet was the highest point within ten miles of the Atlantic Ocean, on the East Coast south of central Maine. The Observatory was founded as a weather station and research facility. This location afforded early weather scientists a unique opportunity for recording extremes of weather and experimenting with weather-recording instruments.
The observatory building was completed by the end of 1884 and the first regular observations were begun on February 1, 1885. Rotch became the first director of the observatory and maintained it at his own expense until his death in 1912 when he bequeathed it to Harvard University with an endowment of $50,000, which grew to $111,000 in the twelve years after his death.
Construction of the observatory was started by Rotch in 1884 using his own private funds, and designed by architects Rotch & Tilden. The original structure consisted of a two-story circular tower and an adjoining housing unit which contained two bedrooms, a dining room and a kitchen. In 1889, a two-story east wing was added to provide additional working space for research, domestic chores, and the library.
In 1902, a two-story west wing containing a new library was added to provide additional work space. A steel fire door and brick wall connect the library to the earlier masonry structure. A timbrel vault (18 by 35 ft) of cohesive tiles spans the library. The timbrel vault tile roof is believed to have been installed by the Guastavino Company using an extremely tenacious mortar developed by Rafael Guastavino, the founder of the firm.
Native stone, gathered from the summit of the Great Blue Hill, was used for the two-story tower, adjoining housing unit, and the east and west wings. Copper sheathing was used for roofing. A stone wall and iron fence were erected in 1905 to provide security for the building and instruments and privacy for the staff. The original stone tower eventually proved to be unsuitable. Wind-driven rain penetrated its walls, damaging the instruments and records. Vibration from the instruments on masts atop the tower contributed to the structural problems.
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Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory
The Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory in Milton, Massachusetts is the foremost structure associated with the history of weather observations in the United States. Located atop Great Blue Hill about 10 miles south of Boston, Massachusetts, it is home to the oldest continuous weather record in North America, and was the location of the earliest kite soundings of the atmosphere in North America in the 1890s, as well as the development of the radiosonde in the 1930s.
Founded by Abbott Lawrence Rotch in 1884, the observatory took a leading role in the newly emerging science of meteorology and was the scene of many of the first scientific measurements of upper atmosphere weather conditions, using kites to carry weather instruments aloft. Knowledge of wind velocities, air temperature and relative humidity at various levels came into use as vital elements in weather prediction due to techniques developed at this site. By 1895 the observatory was the source of weather forecasts of remarkable accuracy. On August 4, 1894 the first atmospheric sounding in the world was accomplished at the observatory, with a weather kite carrying a thermograph 2,030 feet above sea level. On October 8, 1896, a record of 8740 feet (2,665 m) was achieved for a weather kite. During the Great New England Hurricane of 1938, the observatory measured the strongest wind gust ever directly measured and recorded in a hurricane at 186 mph (299 km/h).
The observatory remains active to this day, continuing to add to its database of weather observations now more than one hundred years old, and stands as a monument to the science of meteorology in the United States.
The Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory was founded by American meteorologist Abbott Lawrence Rotch in 1885. By the time he graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1884, Rotch had conceived and carried into execution his plans for the erection of a meteorological observatory on the summit of Great Blue Hill, ten miles south of Boston, Massachusetts in the Blue Hills Reservation, a 7,000-acre (24 km²) public park managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Rotch chose the site because the elevation of 635 feet was the highest point within ten miles of the Atlantic Ocean, on the East Coast south of central Maine. The Observatory was founded as a weather station and research facility. This location afforded early weather scientists a unique opportunity for recording extremes of weather and experimenting with weather-recording instruments.
The observatory building was completed by the end of 1884 and the first regular observations were begun on February 1, 1885. Rotch became the first director of the observatory and maintained it at his own expense until his death in 1912 when he bequeathed it to Harvard University with an endowment of $50,000, which grew to $111,000 in the twelve years after his death.
Construction of the observatory was started by Rotch in 1884 using his own private funds, and designed by architects Rotch & Tilden. The original structure consisted of a two-story circular tower and an adjoining housing unit which contained two bedrooms, a dining room and a kitchen. In 1889, a two-story east wing was added to provide additional working space for research, domestic chores, and the library.
In 1902, a two-story west wing containing a new library was added to provide additional work space. A steel fire door and brick wall connect the library to the earlier masonry structure. A timbrel vault (18 by 35 ft) of cohesive tiles spans the library. The timbrel vault tile roof is believed to have been installed by the Guastavino Company using an extremely tenacious mortar developed by Rafael Guastavino, the founder of the firm.
Native stone, gathered from the summit of the Great Blue Hill, was used for the two-story tower, adjoining housing unit, and the east and west wings. Copper sheathing was used for roofing. A stone wall and iron fence were erected in 1905 to provide security for the building and instruments and privacy for the staff. The original stone tower eventually proved to be unsuitable. Wind-driven rain penetrated its walls, damaging the instruments and records. Vibration from the instruments on masts atop the tower contributed to the structural problems.