Round Hill, Massachusetts

Round Hill is a location in Dartmouth, Massachusetts of historical significance.

History

Colonel Green built his home on Round Hill and later donated the use of parts of the land for educational and military purposes.

Radio WMAF

In 1923, (as continuous-wave broadcasting became available), Colonel Green founded WMAF, a radio station with the tag, "The Voice from Way Down East". MIT's President, Samuel W. Stratton and the Department of Electrical Engineering's new Communications Division were invited to experiment with the new technology, and the department was initially financed by Colonel Green.

Professor Edward L. Bowles set out to determine the signal strength and radiation patterns of different antenna arrays in 1926. Round Hill's radio station (which included an early radio telescope, built on the foundation of a lighthouse) followed Donald B. MacMillan's and Admiral Richard E. Byrd's polar expeditions, tracked the Graf Zeppelin dirigible during its maiden transatlantic flight, and was the sole communication link for areas devastated by the Vermont floods in 1927.

Van de Graaff

In 1933, Round Hill was the site of Robert J. Van de Graaff's electrical experiments. He built a 40 foot tall Van de Graaff generator in an abandoned airship hangar. The generator was donated in 1956 to the Museum of Science, Boston, and circa 2005 the generator continues to function as a major exhibit.

Charles W. Morgan

The whaling ship Charles W. Morgan, now on display at Mystic Seaport, was once owned by Colonel Green, and moored at Round Hill.

World War II

During World War II, the Coast Artillery built a fire control structure on the site.

External links

History of the Coast Artillery's Round Hill fire control station
A history of MIT's involvement with Round Hill
Photos from a 1933 report on Van de Graff's generator at Round Hill
Brief mention of Round Hill's use by NASA in 1960
A citation of "84 cubic feet" of records that mention "Round Hill, an estate left to the Institute by E. H. R. Green as a home for research in aeronautics and microwave technology"
The Center for Land Use Interpretation's page about the Round Hill Lab Site