Rittenhouse Farm
East Norriton Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
David Rittenhouse, born in 1732, lived here until 1770. Here he began his distinguished scientific career; and computed and observed the transit of Venus, 1769. Spent later years in Philadelphia, where he died in 1796.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
David Rittenhouse, born in 1732, spent his early life on this farm, where he launched one of colonial America's most remarkable scientific careers. A self-taught clockmaker and astronomer, he built precise instruments and in 1769 computed and observed the transit of Venus across the sun—a globe-spanning effort to measure the solar system that placed American science on the world stage. He later moved to Philadelphia, serving the young republic until his death in 1796.
Why it matters
Rittenhouse showed that the New World could produce science of the first rank, becoming one of early America's most celebrated men of learning.
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Related people
- · David Rittenhouse
Related events
- · Transit of Venus, 1769
Themes & tags
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David Rittenhouse, one of colonial America's foremost men of science, farmed near this spot and pursued astronomy with instruments he built by hand. He is credited with constructing what many consider the first telescope made in America, and in 1769 he joined an international scientific effort to observe the transit of Venus across the sun. His careful measurements helped place American science on the world stage before the Revolution.
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