CT National Historic Landmark
Edward W. Morley House
West Hartford (Private Residence)
A National Historic Landmark right in my hometown?! (Okay, I figured the Noah Webster House would be one, which it is, but this entire story is brand new to me.) The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1975.
Typical house near West Hartford Center. NHL plaque to the right of the door.
This was the home of the scientist Edward W. Morley from 1906 to 1923. Morley is famous for his collaboration with Albert A. Michelson on the Michelson-Morley experiment and for his work on the atomic weights of hydrogen and oxygen.
The Michelson–Morley experiment was performed in 1887 at what is now Case Western Reserve University. Its results are generally considered to be the first strong evidence against the theory of a luminiferous aether. The experiment has also been referred to as “the kicking-off point for the theoretical aspects of the Second Scientific Revolution”.
Wow. Who knew? To learn the full stories, check out the links below. Pretty cool stuff.
Michelson-Morley experiment
CTMQ visits CT’s National Historic Landmarks
CTMQ’s CT National Designations
Katherine Kramer Erwin says
July 2, 2010 at 4:10 pmI grew up in this house!! What fun to see this article….
Elizabeth Brennan Norman says
January 1, 2011 at 10:19 pmI grew up next door to this house. What fun we had!! It was the neighborhood gathering place.