Goethe Link Observatory Director's records, 1935-1941
A Guide to its records at the Indiana University Archives
Nicole M. Mares
Electronic finding aid encoded by
Beth Benda
Summary Information
Repository
Indiana University Archives
1320 East Tenth Street
Herman B Wells Library E460
Bloomington, IN 47405-7000
Phone: 812-855-1127
Email: archives@indiana.edu
http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives
Creator
Goethe Link Observatories.
TitleGoethe Link Observatory Director's records, 1935-1941
Collection No.
C216
Extent
.8 cubic feet (2 boxes)
Language
Materials are in English.
Abstract
Collection consists of .8 cubic feet of
records from the Director of the Goethe Link Observatory, spanning 1935-1941, primarily
concerning the construction of the observatory. The observatory was built by and named
after, Goethe Link, who received his M.D. from IU in 1902 and who was a prominent
thyroid surgeon in Indianapolis. The incumbent during this period was Victor E. Maier.
Included in the collection are financial ledgers, correspondence, as well as information
on construction materials and astronomy.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research.
Advance notice is required.
Administrative History
Dr. Goethe Link (1879-1981) was born in Pike County, Indiana in 1879. Link began his
academic career at Wabash College, but later received his M.D. from Indiana
University in 1902. He was a founder of the Indiana University Medical School as well
as a prominent thyroid surgeon in Indianapolis.
Dr. Link had diverse interests that took him beyond the realm of medicine. In 1909 he
won the National Balloon Race, he conducted studies of hummingbirds and snakes, and,
in 1937 he began the construction of an observatory to aid in his study of
astronomy.
Dr. Link had his observatory built at Tanager Hill, near Brooklyn, Indiana, twenty
miles southwest of Indianapolis. The building housed a thirty-six inch telescope, as
well as research and housing facilities. Construction took two years, and in 1939 the
observatory housed one of the most accurately figured telescopic mirrors ever made at
that time.
The Goethe Link Observatory was donated to Indiana University in 1948 and was used
regularly by students and researchers until 1981. Today, the observatory is jointly
operated by Indiana University and the Indiana Astronomical Society, an amateur
astronomy group in central Indiana.
Scope and Content Note
This collection contains materials concerning the construction of Goethe Link’s
observatory, from 1937 until 1939, and records from subsequent years up to and including
1941. Included in the collection are financial ledgers, correspondence, as well as
information on construction materials and astronomy. Photographs have been removed and
added to the photographic collections in the Indiana University Archives.
This collection is divided into three series: series one consists of correspondence,
series two contains financial records and series three titled subject files contains
general files pertaining to the Link Observatory. All of the series are arranged in
alphabetical order.
Arrangement
Organized in three series: Correspondence, Financial records, and Subject files.
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Indexing Terms
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The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
IUCAT, the IU Libraries' online
catalog. Materials about related topics, persons or places can be found by searching the
catalog using these terms.
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Separated Material
The photographs have been transferred to the Photographs Collection.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Accession 8006
Usage RestrictionsCopyrights for records originating with Indiana University administrative units, departments, and other offices are held by
the Trustees of Indiana University. For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.
The Indiana University Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyrights for
non-university records, materials in the public domain, or materials for which we do not hold a Deed of Gift. Responsibility
for the determination of the copyright status of these materials rests with those persons wishing to reuse the materials.
Researchers are responsible for securing permission from copyright owners and any other rights holders for any reuse of these
materials that extends beyond fair use or other statutory limitations.
Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational
and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its
inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.
Preferred Citation
[Item], Goethe Link Observatory Director's records, Collection C216, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.
Processing InformationProcessed by Nicole M. Mares
Completed in 2004.
Series:
Correspondence, 1938-1941
Box 1
Anderson, J.A., 24 Apr 1938
Carl Zeiss Inc., 17 Dec 1938
Central Rubber Supply Co., 16 Sep 1939
Chicago Astronomical Society, May 1940
Crull, Elmer, 11 Apr 1940
Cuffey, James, 1939-1941
Esterline-Angus Company, Inc., 14 Jan 1941
G.E. Stechert & Co., 21 Dec 1938
Gasper, G.W., 27 May 1940
Gauken, Will, 26 June 1959
Gruelle, Arthur, 13 Aug 1940
Kitchen, Dortha, 3 Oct 1940
Link, Goethe, 1941
Louisville Astronomical Society, 19 Jul 1940
Mt. Wilson Observatory, Apr-Jun 1941
Noble, Tom, undated
Plainfield Public Schools, May 1941
Richey, Paul, 2 May 1940
Ross, Frank B., 1936;
1941
Rushton, W. A., 1940
Slaymaker, Merell & Locke, 15 Sep 1939
United States Naval Observatory, 20 Dec 1938
Series:
Accounts-Records, 1936-1941
Financial Ledger,
Box 1
May 1937-Apr 1939
Aug 1937-Sep 1939
1939-1940
Financial Reports, 1939-1940
Financial Statements, 1937
Observatory Payroll, 1937-1938;
1940
Receipts,
General Receipts,
A-C, 1928-1930,
1938-1940
D-I, 1939-1940
J-O, 1936-1940
P-Z, 1937-1941
Gothe Link Observatory Miscellaneous Receipts, 1940-1941
Bowers Coast Company, 1938-1940
Brad Snodgrass Inc., 1939-1940
Central Camera Company, 1940
Central Rubber and Supply Company, 1930;
1939-1940
Chas Drexler Company, 1939
Crucible Steel Company of America, 1938-1939
Duco Company, 1940
Engineering Metal Products Corp, 1939-1940
Farrell-Argast Electric Company, 1941
Federal Pattern Works, 1939-1941
G.E. Stechert and Company, 1939-1940
Gibson Company, 1939-1941
Guarantee Tire and Rubber Company, 1939
H. Lieber Company, 1940-1941
Hallemite Mfg Company, 1940-1941
Hans Rudolph, 1941
Herold Service Station, 1941
Hughes Lumber and Grain Company, 1937-1940
Box 2
Indiana Bearings Inc., 1937-1938
Indiana Wall Paper and Paint Company, 1939-1940
Indianapolis Plywood Company, 1939-1940
Klaisler Machine Shop, 1936-1941
Langsenkamp Company, 1939-1940
Lehigh Cement, undated
Lusty's Electric, 1937-1941
McNamara-Koster Foundry Co., Inc., 1940-1941
Metzger-Black Lumber Company, 1940
Pennsylvania Railroad Company, 1937-1940
Railway Express Agency, 1940
Sanborn Electric Company, 1939
Sinker-Davis Company, 1939
Spann Company, 1937-1940
Stewarts Inc., 1940
Tanner and Company, 1940
Vonnegut Hardware Company, 1938-1940
Willard A. Schrader, 1936-1937
Wyatt and Bishop, 1938
Series:
Subject Files, 1935-1941
Box 2
American Astronomical Society, 1938;
1940
Astronomy, 1935;
1941
Cincinnati Observatory, 1940
Construction,
1938
- Miscellany, 1937
Contract with A.H. Lusty for Wiring of Link Observatory, 1938
Contract with Victor E. Maier Director of Research for Link, Foundation
1937
Contract with Carl D. Turner, 1936-1940
Corning Glass Works, 1936-1941
Electrical Consumption and Work, 1939
Goethe Link Foundation, undated
History, May
1940
Lumber, 1937
Miscellaneous, 1937-1941
Morgan County Property Survey, 1937
Site Plan, undated
Telescopes, 1937-1941