Description
The McCormick Observatory, located on Observatory Mountain near the University of Virginia, is named after Leander J. McCormick, who donated $78,000 toward its creation. McCormick was a native of Rockbridge County and his family patented the mechanical reaper and established the International Harvester Company. When the building was dedicated in 1885, its refractor telescope was the second largest in the world. Citation: University of Virginia Visual History Collection, RG-30/1/10/011, prints09789. Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.
