This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Eclipse memories revive 1882 transit in Aiken
Aiken recalls the 1882 transit of Venus as experts like Dr. Kobold and Dr. Franz set up an observatory on land owned by the Henderson and Weems families. Instruments included Altazimuth and Breslau heliometer with a 216x magnification. Observers measured lunar crescents and occultations, telegraphed longitude, and prepared reports as the public watched from Highland Park Hotel rooftops.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Aiken
Jeremiah Horrox
George III
England
Tahiti
St. Petersburg
Pekin
Lapland
California
Julius Franz
Neufchatel
Switzerland
Royal Observatory
Koenigoberg
Kobold
Hungary
Gottengen University
Marcuse
Berlin University
Carl
Henry Smith
E.P. Henderson
Highland Park Hotel
Heliometer
Breslau University
Liepzig University
Franz
Bremen
South America
John Weems
Weems
Frampton Hender
First Presbyterian Church
Henderson and Weems
Kennedy Junior High
John Belk
Mercury
Venus
P.O. Box
S.C