The Minton Observatory, otherwise known as the “Pill Box” due to its shape, was funded by Professor Robert Minton who taught mathematics from 1860 to 1887 in order to begin Blackburn’s astronomy program. Construction on the observatory was finished in 1885 when Everette W. Loomis of Carrollton installed the telescope. Loomis was immensely important to the process as he designed and built the entire telescope and clockwork mechanisms in order to suit the needs of the college.
During this time, any student interested in the sciences had to study the stars. However when Blackburn became a two-year college in 1918 instead of a four-year college, astronomy was dropped from the course catalog. With no further use for the observatory, the building was used for storage for years. At first it was simply for equipment for the astronomy class before the school decided on the permanent dismissal of the class. After the decision to close the class for good, the “Pill Box” became a silo for cow feed with all the mechanisms left inside except for the lenses which were placed into a safe.
The most important and expensive part of the telescope, the lens, sat in a safe gathering dust until in 1942 when local physics professor Larry Christopher began to clean the lenses for use. Quickly realizing the task was beyond himself, Christopher contracted the job out to Fred Holtz who was the chief engineer of the Sangamon Electric Company and an amateur astronomer. Holtz also crafted several additional lenses to have various levels of magnification. This telescope was a portable model, with moorings available to mount the telescope on outside of Dawes Gymnasium for several years.
After being reduced to a farm feed storage bin, Blackburn decided to raze the Minton Observatory in 1942. The Blackburn farm was lost to a fire, thus removing the need for the storage bin. Plans for a plaque to be installed where the building once stood were introduced by student director Leslie Shaffer in 1960. The only remains of the building today are a handful of photos taken by students and faculty which show the observatory as a popular place to hang out and pose for photos.