Wissahickon Valley Park in Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
David Rittenhouse
1732 - 1796
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, October 5, 2013
1. David Rittenhouse Marker
Inscription.
David Rittenhouse.
The eminent patriot, scientist and first director of the United States Mint was born at this site. This sundial commemorates his triumphs in the fields of astronomy and horology., Presented to the Friends of Historic RittenhouseTown by the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors in memory of our mutual member Dr. James W. Gibbs. April 1991.
The eminent patriot, scientist and first director of the United States Mint was born at this site. This sundial commemorates his triumphs in the fields of astronomy and horology.
Presented to the Friends of Historic RittenhouseTown by the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors in memory of our mutual member Dr. James W. Gibbs. April 1991
Location. 40° 1.762′ N, 75° 11.385′ W. Marker is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia County. It is in Wissahickon Valley Park. Marker can be reached from Lincoln Drive, on the right when traveling south. Marker is accessible from the parking area for Rittenhouse Town off Lincoln Drive. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1690 Lincoln Dr, Philadelphia PA 19144, United States of America. Touch for directions.
The David Rittenhouse marker and sundial can be seen here on the left.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, October 5, 2013
4. Rittenhouse Homestead - Established 1690
David Rittenhouse was born in this house in 1732.
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, February 16, 2015
5. David Rittenhouse
This 1796 portrait of David Rittenhouse by Charles Willson Peale hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC.
“A child prodigy who received no formal education, David Rittenhouse became one of early America's most respected scientists and is depicted here as president of the American Philosophical Society. Rittenhouse made his living as a clock-and instrument-maker; his mathematical skills earned him service on commissions determining the boundaries of several states. He constructed two orreries, instruments that accurately depict the motions of the solar system for 5,000 years, backwards and forwards. Rittenhouse achieved international fame when, acting on John Ewing's proposal, he organized the Philosophical Society's participation in an international effort to measure the transit of Venus. This allowed astronomers to more accurately measure distances to celestial objects. Rittenhouse's published observations, along with those of other American scientists, attracted favorable reactions in Europe, bringing a new recognition of American scientific achievement.” — National Portrait Gallery
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 6, 2013, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 593 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 6, 2013, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 5. submitted on May 25, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.