Crete (Doane)

[Coyote]

Doane breaks ground on new residence hall

[Coyote]

1883 Boswell Observatory shapes travel, standard time in Crete



CRETE, Neb. (KOLN) - In the late 1800s, the railroads depended on time, and time depended on the skies. In Crete, the Boswell Observatory played a pivotal role in keeping track of the stars and standardized time on the plains. “Everything in here is still the way it used to be,” said David Clevette, a chemistry professor at Doane University. “The most important thing about the telescope is the fact that the objective lens was made by a very famous lens maker which would’ve been Alvan Clark and Sons.” The main refractor telescope with an 8-inch lens is embedded deep below Doane University. The piers go all the way down to the bedrock level. The founders of Doane College built the Boswell Observatory in 1883.