In 1820, one of the most famous and world renown astronomers was born right on Ridge Road in the town of Clarkson. He was Lewis Swift. He identified numerous astrological objects, naming six comets and numerous stars. Learn about him and his accomplishments on Thursday, January 11, 2018, 7 p.m. at the Morgan-Manning House. The program will be presented by Chris Albrecht, sponsored by the Western Monroe Historical Society. Albrecht has been named 2018 New York State Teacher of the Year. Free and open to the general public, refreshments will be served following the program. The historic Morgan-Manning House is located at 151 Main Street, Brockport.
Lewis Swift was born and lived on what is now Ridge Road, east of Route 19. There is a historical marker there. His father helped found the Clarkson Academy and the adjacent church. Swift fractured his hip in his early teens, which left him lame. He became useless on the farm, and he spent time studying. He discovered his passion for the stars from an early memory of Halley’s Comet.
Swift set up shop on the top of Duffy’s Cider Mill on Ambrose Street in downtown Rochester. It was there that he spotted the 1862 comet known as the Swift-Tuttle Comet. Though Swift identified the comet three days earlier than Maine resident, Horace Tuttle, they shared the name. This comet has an orbital cycle of 133 years, and it reappeared in 1995. Swift would go on to be the first to discover 6 comets, though he sighted thousands. As Swift continued to study, HH Warner, the founder of the Rochester based Warner Safe Company became impressed with him. He built a $100,000 observatory called the Warner Observatory on East Avenue in Rochester. Lewis Swift would be honored by many people and universities, and the U of R gave him an honorary Ph.D.
Swift would eventually begin studying and identifying nebulae. He is credited with finding over 1,200 of them. He would move to California to the high mountains for better viewing. He would live nine years at the Lowe observatory outside of San Francisco. In 1900, with his eyesight failing, he moved in with his daughter in Cortland, NY. He died in 1912. He is buried in Marathon, NY.
(Above details on the life and accomplishments of Lewis Swift were provided by Chris Albrecht.)
