Phelps in Ontario County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Site of the Red House Observatory
Photographed by James Turcotte
1. Site of the Red House Observatory Marker
11 comets discovered here between 1881-1888 by international astronomer Dr. William R. Brooks (1844-1921)
Enterprise Grange, 1963 Phelps Community Historical Society, 2014
In 1870, an aspiring young astronomer located to a little red house that once occupied this site. Dr. William R. Brooks (1844-1921) the village's photographer, built what was no more than a small platform and mounting post at the corner of an apple orchard just east of this spot . . . he aptly named it the Red House Observatory.
In October 1881, with the third homemade telescope he had created, Dr. Brooks discovered his first comet. Over the next 7 years, he and the Red House Observatory would become internationally renowned, with the famed award-winning astronomer discovering a total of 11 comets here alone, and 27 over his prestigious career.
Erected 2014 by Phelps Community Historical Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Science & Medicine. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1881.
Location. 42° 57.073′ N, 77° 2.921′ W. Marker is in Phelps, New York, in Ontario County.
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York, specifically in Western New York, in the Finger Lakes, and in the Rochester Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, New Netherland, and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Post #457 Memorial Walkway (approx. Ό mile away); Vietnam Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); Gerald M. Haers (approx. 0.3 miles away); Redfield Common (approx. half a mile away); Howe House Museum (approx. half a mile away); Town of Phelps (approx. half a mile away); Phelps Historic District (approx. 0.6 miles away); St. Johns Episcopal Church
Photographed by James Turcotte
2. Site of the Red House Observatory Marker
Also see . . . William Robert Brooks (Wikipedia). (Submitted on April 26, 2024, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.)
Credits. This page was last revised on April 27, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 22, 2024, by James Turcotte of Phelps, New York. This page has been viewed 375 times since then and 19 times this year. Last updated on April 27, 2024, by James Turcotte of Phelps, New York. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 22, 2024, by James Turcotte of Phelps, New York. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
