Goethe Link Observatory Director's records, 1935-1941

Summary

Creator:
Goethe Link Observatories
Abstract:
Collection consists of .8 cubic feet of records from the Director of the Goethe Link Observatory, spanning 1935-1941, primarily concerning the construction of the observatory. The observatory was built by and named after, Goethe Link, who received his M.D. from IU in 1902 and who was a prominent thyroid surgeon in Indianapolis. The incumbent during this period was Victor E. Maier. Included in the collection are financial ledgers, correspondence, as well as information on construction materials and astronomy.
Extent:
.8 cubic feet (2 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English .
Preferred citation:

[Item], Goethe Link Observatory Director's records, Collection C216, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.

Background

Administrative History:

Dr. Goethe Link (1879-1981) was born in Pike County, Indiana in 1879. Link began his academic career at Wabash College, but later received his M.D. from Indiana University in 1902. He was a founder of the Indiana University Medical School as well as a prominent thyroid surgeon in Indianapolis.

Dr. Link had diverse interests that took him beyond the realm of medicine. In 1909 he won the National Balloon Race, he conducted studies of hummingbirds and snakes, and, in 1937 he began the construction of an observatory to aid in his study of astronomy.

Dr. Link had his observatory built at Tanager Hill, near Brooklyn, Indiana, twenty miles southwest of Indianapolis. The building housed a thirty-six inch telescope, as well as research and housing facilities. Construction took two years, and in 1939 the observatory housed one of the most accurately figured telescopic mirrors ever made at that time.

The Goethe Link Observatory was donated to Indiana University in 1948 and was used regularly by students and researchers until 1981. Today, the observatory is jointly operated by Indiana University and the Indiana Astronomical Society, an amateur astronomy group in central Indiana.

Scope and Content Note:

This collection contains materials concerning the construction of Goethe Link’s observatory, from 1937 until 1939, and records from subsequent years up to and including 1941. Included in the collection are financial ledgers, correspondence, as well as information on construction materials and astronomy. Photographs have been removed and added to the photographic collections in the Indiana University Archives.

This collection is divided into three series: series one consists of correspondence, series two contains financial records and series three titled subject files contains general files pertaining to the Link Observatory. All of the series are arranged in alphabetical order.

Acquisition information:
Accession 8006
Processing Information:

Processed by Nicole M. Mares

Completed in 2004.

Arrangement:

Organized in three series: Correspondence, Financial records, and Subject files.

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

Advance notice is required.

Terms of access:

Copyrights for records originating with Indiana University administrative units, departments, and other offices are held by the Trustees of Indiana University. For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.

The Indiana University Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyrights for non-university records, materials in the public domain, or materials for which we do not hold a Deed of Gift. Responsibility for the determination of the copyright status of these materials rests with those persons wishing to reuse the materials. Researchers are responsible for securing permission from copyright owners and any other rights holders for any reuse of these materials that extends beyond fair use or other statutory limitations.

Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.

Preferred citation:

[Item], Goethe Link Observatory Director's records, Collection C216, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.

Location of this collection:
Herman B Wells Library E460
1320 East Tenth Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405-7000, United States
Visit the University Archives
Before you visit:
Campus:
Indiana University Bloomington
Contact:
812-855-1127
archives@iu.edu