TL;DR – I bought Leslie Peltier's 12” Alvan Clark lens. But for those of you who enjoy the details of a story and how this came to be, which brings in some history of the lens and the legacy of Leslie Peltier, please read below:
“Old telescopes never die, they are just laid away.”
This journey all started with this simple phrase, written by the venerable Leslie Peltier in his autobiography of sorts, Starlight Nights in 1965. After I finished reading this inspirational book a few years ago, this question kept repeating itself over and over in my mind. I went back and reread my favorite chapters several times. I clearly remember the moment I thought, “I wonder what happened to his telescopes?”. A question that I've come to learn is one of the most common questions someone has after finishing his book. The way that Leslie talked about his telescopes, cared for them, and USED them, gave the impression that they were very much his prized possessions and he gave their stewardship a high priority.
I first looked online, and many paths led to CloudyNights forum posts. I also consulted the archive of the Antique Telescope Society. Some fairly knowledgeable people there mentioned first hand that the Peltier family had retained the main 3 telescopes that Leslie mentions in his iconic book (the Strawberry Spyglass, 6” Fitz Comet Seeker and 12” Alvan Clark). But the information wasn't concrete, and I found some contradictory info, and a lot of it was 3rd hand or outdated by 20 years or more. Many mentions online that the 12” Clark had fallen into a state of severe disrepair and had to be torn down but that the lens was kept safe. Even a rumor it was returned to Miami University. I had to know more!
After reading the book you find out that Leslie had 2 sons. I found both of them online and found mailing address for both. I drafted a letter mentioning who I was and just wanted to find some information about the telescopes, where they were, who had them, were they on display or being used, were they family heirlooms being passed down in the family, etc? After warnings from others that I wouldn't be answered, I was very surprised to get responses from BOTH sons. The younger son mentioned by email he had the Strawberry Spyglass and the 6” Comet Seeker and they were both in safe keeping and planned to stay in the family for the long term, which I was happy to hear.
I then got a phone call from the eldest son, who confirmed that he did have the 12” Clark telescope. He said that indeed the dome had frozen open shortly after his father's passing and the lens was removed for safekeeping, and that weather had gotten the best of the observatory and the Clark telescope and mount. He took it down in 1994 and took the remnants back to his property in another nearby town in Ohio. He also confirmed that the lens was in good condition and had been kept safe, protected and unused since the time of his father's passing in 1980. We spoke at length a few times on the phone, he told me about his life, and his memories of his father and viewing through the telescopes. I then asked what the plans were for the 12” Clark. He said that he had planned to restore the old telescope, and build a new observatory around it, but time had slipped away, and now he didn't feel up to take on such a large project and now the tube and mount were probably beyond reasonable restoration means. He said for the right price and to the right person, he would consider selling the lens. I was a little nervous at this point, because what started as primarily a research project and information hunt, had turned into a possible transaction of one of the most iconic and historic telescopes of all time! What price would he ask for it? Where would I mount it? Would I dare try to restore the whole scope or attempt to build a new scope around the existing lens? (Brief history: This 12” Alvan Clark telescope was originally built in 1868 for Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. Then sold in 1922 to Miami University in Oxford, OH. Remounted into a new tube and mount by the Lohmann Brothers in 1929, then gifted to Leslie Peltier, observatory building and all, in 1959.)
I had a long time to think about these things as we exchanged messages, photos and phone calls over the course of about a year. When it came to the price, he asked me to do my own research and approach him with a price, but also to keep the sale private for now as I had to consult some 3rd parties. I called several experts in that area, most of which were fellow Antique Telescope Society members to get a good idea on price and I picked a number about in the middle of the range that was recommended by this group of experts. It took me about 3 months to collect all this information and contact all the appropriate people. I tried several times to contact him after this with no luck, eventually one day his wife answered the phone and told me the sad news that he had passed away in an accident. I was in shock as I very much enjoyed our conversations, getting to hear such amazing first-hand stories of history about Leslie Peltier and his family that never had been written onto the internet or elsewhere. I was also looking forward to meeting him as by then we'd arranged to visit him this April for the total solar eclipse. So, sadly, I never got the chance to meet him in person or have any more conversations with him. I did however find that his wife was very kind and sincere and also open to carrying out the sale of the lens and to answer some questions I had about history of the family. We came to an agreement on price and made plans to meet the day before the eclipse. She shared photos with me before we came and sure enough, it looked the same as other similar sized Alvan Clark lenses I'd seen online and it had the trademark chip in the back of the lens that Peltier mentioned in Starlight Nights in one passage:
“Dr. Anderson [of Miami University] also divulged that he had been responsible for the tiny chip in the edge of the objective. It had been done, he said, by getting one of the adjusting screws too tight while fitting the lenses in their cell. He told me how he had then written to the J. W. Fecker Company of Pittsburgh to find out the cost of replacing the chipped crown element with a new one. When Fecker quoted a price of five thousand dollars for just one of the two elements that together make the complete objective he decided to pursue the matter no further. Actually the chipped edge does not affect the image quality of the lens in the slightest degree.” (Note: the chip is actually on the rear surface of the flint element (r4), approx 1” x 3/8” and very shallow, so < 0.3% of the surface area of the lens.)
My family and I all flew out to Ohio for a quick 5 day journey that would include some usual sightseeing stops as well as a the full Leslie Peltier historical tour. We first stopped in to meet Mrs. Peltier and her son (Leslie's grandson) at their house in western Ohio. She showed me the remnants of the 12” Clark telescope OTA and mount. It was a mixture of shock and awe, as (I believe) it is beyond reasonable restoration (approximately 45 years basically outside uncovered). The rolled steel tube had many section rusted all the way through and the mount and gears all had rough etched rust covering its entirety. Several brass and stainless parts were in better shape and will hopefully be reused in the future project. But the focuser assembly and finder were gone. The lens was indeed in beautiful shape and it was like opening a sealed tomb for the first time in a generation, I couldn't believe my eyes that I was looking at the same lens that Leslie Peltier viewed through for nearly 21 years and wrote so poetically about in his books. We concluded the deal and I packed the lens safely in it's wooden storage case and we proceeded with the rest of our Peltier tour.
Next stop was to be Leslie Peltier's hometown of Delphos, OH. We first stopped into the Canal Commission Museum, which has an excellent exhibit on Peltier featuring tons of photos, articles and a working replica of the Merry-go-round observatory and Strawberry Spyglass with replica grindstone post mount. Bob Ebbeskotte gave us a personal tour and we bought some eclipse and Peltier shirts and stickers for the occasion. Bob and the museum have done such a good job on the exhibit, it's definitely not to be missed!
Next we went to Peltier's former home on Bredeick St. called “Brookhaven”. This home is featured prominently in Starlight Nights and even more so in his last novel; “The Place on Jennings Creek”. The house is currently being remodeled to become an AirBnB for large groups and events and we were lucky enough to be one the very first guests to be welcomed to stay in the home! We arrived a few hours before the eclipse started, met the new owners (who were very kind and will be excellent owners for the house), several of the other Delphos locals and even Leslie Peltier's nephew; Pete Peltier. We got a tour of the newly remodeled interior that is done just gorgeously; classic early 20th century design with a modern touch and many of Leslie and Dottie's original decor and furniture (including Dottie's adorable shoe and hat collection!). We saw the large concrete pillar that still remains as a type of landmark of where the observatory used to stand that held the 12" Clark. Then we took in the amazing total eclipse of 2024 from the front lawn of Brookhaven, in the shadow of the moon, in the shadow of an amazing house and legacy. To me, being such a Peltier fan, I couldn't imagine a more perfect setting and as close to perfection as I can imagine. Brookhaven is such a beautiful property as well, it is just as picturesque as Peltier describes in his books (minus the observatories of course). After the amazing eclipse, we were able to view all the other local Peltier attractions; a monument and historical information sign dedicated to Peltier at the town Library, the Peltier's resting place at the local cemetery, and just down the road from there, the original Peltier family farm where so many of the stories from Starlight Nights took place on Ridge Rd; the old farmhouse (no longer there), the farm where the Cow Pasture observatory was, the Auglaize River and the strawberry patch where he picked his famous 900 quarts of strawberries to buy his first telescope. After that we went back to Brookhaven; made food in the same kitchen, slept in the same bedrooms and drank the same well water that the Peltier's would have done for their time there. The current owners of Brookhaven have tons of memorabilia, photos and reading material about Leslie Peltier as well, so you can relax in the parlor, reading as much as you want about his history.
After a good night's sleep from the busy eclipse day before, we woke up refreshed, sipped coffee on the front porch listening to all the birds coming to life; the Northern Cardinals signing all around us, the Grackles fighting in the front grass, the distant call of some Blue Jays, Wild Turkeys trotting by near the creek, the magnolia blooming, and all the numerous perennial flowers starting to announce their spring emergence after their winter slumber. We didn't want to have to leave, but we had a big day ahead of us.
Departing back south, with the full immersion in Peltier history, we stopped in at the Cincinnati Observatory, the oldest operating professional observatory in the US. They have several amazing telescopes; a 16” Alvan Clark (1904), an 11” Merz and Mahler (1845) and a 5 and 3/8” Alvan Clark (1860). This was some good inspiration for the 12” Peltier Clark that I've been carefully traveling with for a few days now safely packed away in our luggage.
Just as Peltier carried the lens in the back of his car wrapped in a blanket in1959 from Miami University before the rest of the scope was finally moved, and before him Professor William Anderson also carried the lens “a-la-carte” from Middletown, CT to Oxford, OH in 1922, I am traveling with this same lens packed securely in my carry-on luggage on a flight bound for Idaho. A lens crafted 35 years before the first airplane flight by man, is getting its very first flight at 156 years old. What happens now? Now comes the fun part; getting Starlight back into this iconic lens. Nothing is decided for sure, but my plans are to make this into a semi-portable instrument that doesn't require a 20 foot dome, a permanent observatory, or a 2-ton mount with 8 foot concrete pillar to support it. In a conventional design, this 12” f/15.6 refractor lens would require a 15 foot tube, which would be many hundreds of pounds and require a substantially sized mount both in size and height. But in a folded optical design, the weight can be close to 100 pounds, a tube only 5 feet long, and mounted on a standard high-capacity mount that can be broken down into smaller parts and transported. This must be done with care and precision though as folding the optics can introduce more problems if not done correctly. Portability will allow more people to be able to view through this iconic scope once more, and learn about the history of Leslie Peltier, Alvan Clark, and our astronomical past. Maybe someday I can also recover the rest of this scope and make a bold attempt to bring it back to some semblance of its past, but I fear it will be a "Ship of Theseus" project where I'll have to replace so many parts that there won't be many of the original parts left at all. Is it still the same scope? Or is it a replica? Cue ancient philosophical debate.
I feel honored, blessed and excited to be the current custodian for this amazing piece of astronomical history. I would appreciate it greatly if anyone can share any history they have with this scope if they've ever viewed through it in the past, either at Leslie Peltier's in Delphos, or at Miami University before. Thank you to everyone who gave me advice and encouragement along the way. I apologize for the secrecy before this big announcement as I wanted to honor the wishes of the family of a private sale. I will leave you with this passage from Starlight Nights which epitomizes my thoughts and feelings about historical telescopes;
“Sometimes, however, for one reason or another, telescopes do become dormant or go into a state of suspended animation, and at such times, as they slowly gather the dust of the passing years, it seems that they must wonder just what has become of the hands which once so eagerly pointed them to the skies. In this same vein I too have often wondered about all those myriads who, with many an expression of utter amazement and delight, have watched the rings of Saturn, the craters of the moon or the incredible Orion Nebula through these same instruments of mine. Both of these telescopes, even before they came to me, had already served long careers before the public eye. One is a Princeton graduate, the other an alumnus of both Wesleyan and Miami Universities, and each has spent a lifetime in showing-off the skies. So, it would seem quite logical that, out of all these thousands who, at some time, have peered into these telescopes, there must have been at least a few who, in some ways, have had the course of their lives changed or affected by the impact of the wonders that they saw, even as I once brushed against some stars which left their lifetime mark on me.
These telescope of mine are not just bits of property. I like to think of them as gifts in trust and myself as their administrator; one who is grateful that is has fallen to his lot to open up their eyes and let them see the stars again. They now seem quite rejuvenated and, with youthful zest, they look ahead to long and useful lives. But I am not misled by their appearance. I know something of their past and, in spite of all their sprightly mien, I still regard them with that feeling of deep reverence that one accords a patriarch, for they have witnessed much of history. Especially is this true of the 12-inch for I am much more certain of its genealogy.”
For those who wish to know more about the history of this lens prior to Peltier, please watch this amazing presentation titled "Before it Came to Delphos", put together by Horace Smith and Roy Kilgard for the Antique Telescope Society: https://vimeo.com/660978123
Edited by jragsdale, 10 April 2024 - 11:08 AM.
