[5] The history of the Stull Observatory goes back to 1863, when the astronomer William A. Rogers ordered and donated a 9-inch refractor with the American optician Henry Fitz.

It was very nearly lost and destroyed during this period, but in the late 1950s its existence was made known to John Stull, a ceramic engineering Ph.D. who was teaching physics.

[6] What is now called the Stull Observatory began with the construction of two domes, one for the 9 inch Fitz telescope and the other for a 16-inch Newtonian reflector.

In the interim, a heated classroom building was constructed (1968) and a 16-inch Ealing "Educator" Cassegrain (the "Grindle") had been purchased (1969), and ultimately modified.

Since 1992 the Observatory has purchased two commercial 8 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes as well as significant amounts of electronic support equipment.