Raleigh  

Sundial: 864
State/Province:  North Carolina Country:  USA
Dial Type:  Horizontal Dial Condition:  Excellent
  Latitude and Longitude: 35° 47.189' N  78° 39.854' W
Location:
  • On the North Corolina State University (NCSU) campus, on the east side, near Winston-Caldwell-Tompkins buildings.
 
Description:
  • Known as the Primrose Sundial, the bronze dial plate is a little more than a foot in diameter and sits on a small stone pillar about four feet high. The dial has simple hour lines from 4am to 8pm marked on the hour in Roman numerals. The open bronze gnomon is about 1/2 inch thick, held by both tenon and two large screws.

    In December 2010, the school paper reported,"Someone, still unknown, unscrewed [the dial] sometime after the end-of-the-semester Hillsborough Hike." It was not found by the police, but was returned to the school the next day. The stone pedestal had small damage and was repaired. One student at the time, Ryan Thomann, noted "I was walking to Clark from North sometime after Thanksgiving Break and noticed that the Primrose Hall Sundial was missing. I also noticed other various acts of vandalism that occurred around the same time in the same area, which also happened to be after the Hillsborough Hike," he said. "Using my not inconsiderable powers of observation I deduced that inebriated students were the probable perpetrators of the atrocious acts of disrespect."

    The Golden Chain Society is a senior honor society that recognizes the extraordinary contributions of up to 12 outstanding rising seniors each year. Founded in 1926, it is the oldest organization of its kind at North Carolina State University. Each new link receives a certificate, gold chain link, and key with the society's emblem. The design on the key represents the sundial that lies on a pedestal near Primrose Hall. Surrounding the sundial are the twelve links of the Golden Chain.
 
General Information:
  • Owner: North Carolina State University
  • Designer: funded by class graduate Charles Parks
  • Builder:
  • Construction Date: Gift of the class of 1913
 

Last Revised: 2017-05-21 04:38