Constructed in 1838 by Albert Hopkins, the college claims that it is the oldest observatory in the United States.

The observatory dates to 1834 when Prof. Albert Hopkins traveled to England to obtain astronomical equipment.

In 1852 the firm of Alvan Clark (Cambridge, Massachusetts) built a 7" refracting telescope, which was restored for the observatory's sesquicentennial.

In 1963 the planetarium projector was installed and named in memory of Willis Milham, professor of astronomy 1901-1942.

This article about a specific observatory, telescope or astronomical instrument in the United States is a stub.