A sunny day in 1934: Acadia’s 1912 Observatory and Meteorological Station

September 16, 2026 by Wendy Robicheau

As he did every day, Acadia’s Dr. Horace Greely Perry headed up the steep hill, entered the Observatory, and took measurements.

He wrote comments in the ledger for September 16, 1934.

“Fair & warm”

“Light N, NE winds”

Dr. Perry gathered these readings twice daily, at 8am and 8pm. Today’s notes specified “54F” (or 12C) in the morning and “60F” (or 15C) in the evening. The day’s extreme temperatures were listed as a high of 75F (or 23C) and a low of 45F (or 7C). He indicated no wind, cloud, or rain that day.

Dr. Perry also noted “Aurora 8.30->11.30”

Many of the records from the Meteorological Station, now known to have been kept by professors H.G. Perry and W.A. Coit, are preserved in the Acadia Archives. Some of those records are available digitally, like the September 1934 page from the record book of Wolfville Meteorological Station's weather readings from 1934-1935. Ref: 1900.382-WMS/035 (available digitally here https://digital-archives.acadiau.ca/node/2537)

As reflected in the fictional story above, I have often wondered about the “meter man” who took those weather measurements each day, but until a while ago I did not search for him. I looked only at the records (the cold evidence as it is), ignoring the personalities behind those records (the creators). Nowadays, I think more about the people and the circumstances under which they live and work and create records. These articles will break the archivists’ rule of remaining objective and setting aside interpretation to inject some humanity and familiarity with the collections I have come to love.

For 51 years, Acadia’s 1912 Observatory towered over the campus, watching the skies. It was both a working meteorological station for Canada and a laboratory (of sorts) for Acadia students who studied astronomy. Evidence of the activities which occurred in this small building can be found in the depths of the Acadia Archives and Special Collections.

Harold Robbins Haley’s scrapbook includes this black and white print with the handwritten caption “The Class of 1912 observatory in process of building.” The photo is undated but is likely circa 1911. Ref: 1900.003-HAL/2

Charting the history of Acadia’s Observatory and Meteorological Station is like a watching a passing comet. The trail of evidence is long and bright one moment, but it fades away. All you can do is wait until a new trail returns. Such is the story of the Observatory.

One great find is in the alumni newsletter, which reported on the closing activities in the Spring of 1912, noting the dedication ceremony of the Observatory saying,

At the close of the [Class Day] exercises in College Hall the class and the audience adjourned to the hill where, 500 feet in the rear of the Carnegie Science Hall, the class had erected a new Observatory and at this time presented it to the University in an address by Mr. John B. Grant. President Cutten accepted the keys on behalf of the Board of Governors. The building is of brick, two stories high. It is 16 feet square in addition to a tower at the south-west corner 15 ft. in diameter. It will give splendid opportunity for the astronomical and meteorological work to be done here and was a most generous gift. (Acadia Bulletin June 1912, 2)

Do I need to stop here and tell you who is Mr. John B. Grant in the aforementioned article? If not, then skip this paragraph. The curious should read on. John Black Grant, Acadia B.A. 1912, was born in China (likely to missionaries) in 1890. He studied medicine at the University of Michigan, receiving his M.D. in 1917, before obtaining a M.P.H. at Johns Hopkins University in 1921. Dr. Grant was a professor of hygiene and public health in Peking and also spent most of his career as a director on international health boards for the Rockefeller Foundation. He is reported to have received several national decorations including the C.B.E. (Acadia Record)

In hot pursuit of astronomical courses, I turned to the shelves of course calendars preserved in Special Collections. They include a brief description for general astronomy between 1882 and 1911. In 1912, the calendars add meteorology, describing the course as,

A study of Meteorological Instruments, the Atmosphere, Cloud Formation, Storms, Cold Waves, Weather Phenomena, with a brief consideration of Climate. In addition to the lectures, students will be instructed in the drawing of Weather Maps, and in Weather Predicting. Elective for Juniors and Seniors.

Two hours lectures and two hours laboratory a week. First Term. (Calendar 1912, 78)

Astronomy is described as “Lecture Course. Elective for Juniors and Seniors. Three hours a week. Second Term.” The textbook is “Young’s General Astronomy”. (1912, 77) Both courses disappear from the calendar after 1925, which is likely when Dr. Coit left Acadia.

Now to hunt for course textbooks. A 1902 edition of the Manual of Astronomy A Text-Book, by Charles A. Young can still be found in the Library. The title page includes Dr. Coit’s signature, so presumably he used this copy when he taught Astronomy, or it was at least in his personal library. What a find!

But you know me, I want to discover the oldest, surviving textbooks in the Library—and I found some contenders. Several nineteenth century astronomy books can be found in Special Collections. Could any of these books been used by Acadia students to study astronomy in the early College curriculum? May or maybe not, but it is enticing to consider the possibility of it. Here are a few of my favourites:

There is nothing to indicate that this book, A Comprehensive Outline of the Geography and History of Nova Scotia, dated 1838 (Ref: SPRAR FC2311 .C76 1838), was used in the early curriculum except for its presence in the rare book stacks. If this book was used by students on the early College campus, it would have been for a course taught by science professor Isaac Chipman.
I suspect this book may have been used in the curriculum because of a label (not shown here). A Series of Disclosure on The Christian Revelation, Viewed in Connection with the Modern Astronomy, dated 1850 (Ref: AUPA BL253 .C5 1850z), belonged to Rev. Dr. William Liard Archibald (Acadia B.A. 1892, M.A. 1895), who was the Field Secretary for Acadia between 1904 and 1910, the Principle of Horton Academy between 1910 and 1926, and Acadia’s Registrar from 1926 to 1939. I could even suggest that this book was held by the early College library and eventually came to Archibald’s possession, but this is pure conjecture.

Then the trail of the 1912 Observatory vanishes for a while, until twenty-five years after the Observatory was demolished. Professor Roy L. Bishop published an article in the Acadia University Alumni Bulletin giving a detailed history and personal prospectus of the building. He notes that an observatory existed on the same site in 1880, which had a six-inch, f/16 refracting telescope. That building may have been destroyed by fire around 1908. A second observatory opened in 1912, which included meteorological instruments on the first floor and daily records were kept by Acadia professors Perry and Coit. The 1912 Observatory was torn down in 1963 to make room for Eaton House. Bishop states that, “All that remains is the tube and objective of the telescope, which, since 1970, has been in the optics laboratory of the physics department.” (Winter 1987, 6-7)

For Bishop’s full article, go to https://digital-archives.acadiau.ca/node/6383

Among the artefacts in the Archives is this telescope, which may be the one that had been in the physics department circa 1970.

Is there more evidence of the Observatory and Meteorological Station out there somewhere? I suspect there are records and photographs in existence. For now, the trail has gone as cold as space.

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