Sundial garden gets a foothold
By Monty Tayloe
On Friday morning at Observatory Park at Turner Farm in Great Falls, dignitaries, school children and a tour bus full of travelers gathered to witness the dedication of a machine that was probably invented shortly after thumbs became opposable.
From now on, the center of Turner Farm will be graced with an intricately calibrated, handcrafted bronze sundial. The newly dedicated sundial is meant to be the first part of Observatory Park's International Sundial Garden, and a small part of the Great Falls-based Analemma Society's vision for educating children about science.
"Remember, the sun is a star; a sundial is a tool of astronomy," said Charles Olin, president and founder of the Analemma Society.
Turner Farm's sundial was handcrafted from bronze and is decorated with etchings that represent the 400th anniversary of Jamestown. The local historical organization, McLean Great Falls Celebrate Virginia, helped fund the installation of the sundial in Observatory Park.
"If you have questions about sundials, these people will fall all over themselves to tell you about sundials," said British craftsman Tony Moss, who built Turner Farm's sundial. He was referring to the gathered membership of the North American Sundial Society, who had traveled to the Northern Virginia area from all over the country to visit area sundials.
The society became the catalyst for the creation of the new sundial when they awarded Moss a prize two years ago. Moss used the prize money and his own funds to construct Turner Farm's sundial, which he calls his magnum opus. Along with the historical etchings, the pedestal of the sundial includes instructions on how to use it, since there is a difference between mean time and "sun time."
Olin and the Analemma Society see the sundial as a way to introduce children to science, one of the Analemma Society's main purposes.
"It's a tool for observation and measurement," Olin explained.
A former Head Conservator with the Smithsonian, Olin believes that if children can use simple scientific tools like sundials and astrolabes to make their own scientific observations without depending on lectures from teachers, science will become exciting for them. The International Sundial Garden is the first part of that vision.
Another part will include an automated telescope, expected to cost around $160,000, with $100,000 already offset by Fairfax County. The Analemma Society it still working to raise the rest.