Selected Sundials of North America

This is a selected listing of sundials in the North American Sundial Society Registry. Click on any dial thumbnail picture or city name to display the full dial description with additional information and images.

 

Nebraska

 
Kearney Nebraska USA Horizontal Dial Dial 722
A 32 inch diameter bicolored Coconino sandstone horizontal dial with hour, half and quarter hour marks and Arabic hour numerals showing DST with longitude correction. The large noon gap is marked, High Noon. Dial face has carved time ribbon with inlayed brass balls on quarter hours. Gnomon sides show carved sunface and moonface. Dial is placed on a cast concrete pedestal approximately 20 inches high.
 
 
Kelowna British Columbia Canada Equatorial Dial Dial 716
An approximately 18 inch diameter equatorial dial of brushed aluminum and stainless steel with painted steel equatorial and meridian supports. Hour lines and Arabic hour numerals are marked on dial face and a bow string gnomon is tensioned by the meridian arc, which is adjustable for latitude and provided with a marked scale. Meridian arc is supported on a 3-inch diameter steel pole fixed in concrete.
 
 
Kelowna British Columbia Canada Shadow Plane Dial Dial 960
It is a large sculpture that acts as a shadow plane dial delineated at hourly intervals. The dial is about 3m high. It is made of mild steel with a concrete base, very precisely cut and installed. It shows local solar time, delineated at hourly intervals. Each shadow plane projects onto a small vane that has notches cut out, the number of notches indicating the hour. This dial is one of the earlier artworks by Alan Storey, a successful Canadian sculptor specializing in large-scale public art. The setting is a pleasant tree-lined courtyard at the center of the campus. in the years since the courtyard was laid out and the dial installed, the trees have grown large and cast shade on the dial. The best time to view the dial in sun is probably mid-morning, or in the winter when deciduous trees have lost their leaves.
 
 
Kennesaw Georgia USA Horizontal Dial Dial 948
Developers of Kennesaw Gateway Park, a new group of townhouses within walking distance of of town center, collaborated with Kennesaw State University (KSU) to design and fabricate a 9-foot tall horizontal sundial that has been placed in the circular plaza of the housing common area. Page Burch, a lecturer of KSU's Master Craftsman Program was the lead coordinator to design and fabricate the sundial gnomon. The stainless steel gnomon has a brass veneer and an unusual tilted based that nevertheless results in the the gnomon angle of 34 degrees exactly correct for the site latitude.
 
 
Kennett Square Pennsylvania USA Analemmatic Dial Dial 328
37.2 ft x 23.8 ft. This is probably the world's largest analemmatic, unusually designed to show standard time directly. It took 8 years of daily readings to perfect the sundial, which is accurate to within 2 minutes. Hour markers are bronze Roman numerals. Minute lines inscribed in limestone curbing. The gnomon itself is a moveable pole that is set on an AM or PM daily curve. NASS member P. Kenneth Seidelman was instrumental in correcting this design in 1978.
 
 
Kennett Square Pennsylvania USA Horizontal Dial Dial 329
Dating from 1976, this "secret" garden room (once a sundial garden with boxwood parterre) was designed by Thomas Church and is on the western side of the 1908 Square Fountain pool. The ground level horizontal dial is limestone with an iron gnomon. Hour lines identified by Roman numerals; hours divided into minutes. Hour line distribution adjusted for style width. EoT engraved on PM side of dial face. Dial sits atop a large mortared stone base.
 
 
Ketchum Idaho USA Gnomonic or Projection Dial Dial 582
This sundial was never finished. Update 8/10/2007 from Brad Needham: Thanks for the question about the Ketchum sundial. It's a puzzling work, and it took me quite a few Google searches to find a bit of the story: evidently a local (to the Ketchum area) sculptor submitted a sundial design to the city, and somehow the deal fell apart after the dial was made but before the sculptor finished the gnomon. So Ketchum is left with all the markers in the street intersection for the equinox, the noon summer and winter solstices, and an analemma (of some sort), but no gnomon to make it all work.
 
 
Kingston Ontario Canada Vertical Dial Dial 450
A square pillar of limestone rocks 4 foot on a side and 15 feet high with a small bowl and sphere on top hold two vertical dials each 2x2 feet. The pillar faces are oriented SE and SW allowing for two declining dials. The dials are of solid brass and have hour lines with Arabic numbers in a modern design belying by the stonework of the pillars. Unfortunately the 14-inch gnomons are bent
 
 
Knoxville Tennessee USA Horizontal Dial Dial 166
78" w x 168" h x 78" d Steel, brass & etched glass As the sun penetrates the building a shadow is cast from the gnomon onto the 1 inch thick laminated glass which has hour lines etched into its surface. The time is viewed from the underside of the dial. A deep carved mountain landscape is artificially lighted in the lower section.
 
 
Kohler Village Wisconsin USA Vertical Dial Dial 290
A direct east vertical dial approximately 5 feet square, ornately painted onto the side of the Waelderhaus at Kohler Village. The Waelderhaus is a tribute to the tradition of Bregenzerwald, a province of Vorarlberg, Austria, and represents the architecture of this particular Alpine Area. The dial is painted in gold and white with flourishes. A top scroll shows hours with Arabic numerals while a bottom scroll shows the hours with Roman numerals. Lines for solstice, equinox, and signs of the zodiac are drawn across the faces of the dial. No analemma is drawn.
 
 
Kokomo Indiana USA Equatorial Dial Dial 826
This is a hammered wrought iron equatorial sundial approximately 30 inches in diameter with a 6 inch equatorial band. The gnomon is a thin rod bracketed by an iron slit that is manually rotated to allow a bright beam of light to surround the shadow time-telling mark. The dial is designed to show local solar time, and requires the Equation of Time to correct for the tilted earth’s rotation axis and its eccentric orbit around the sun.
 
 
Kokomo Indiana USA Analemmatic Dial Dial 867
This brightly decorated analemmatic sundial is painted on the asphalt to look like a book turning into flowers, showing the combination of literacy and nature. The dial is approximately 10 foot wide with hour marks from 5am to 7pm with drawings of various flowers. Noon is marked with a large sunflower. The central walkway is simply done with the abbreviated names of the months, one column in green, the other in red.
 
 
La Canada California USA Armillary Sphere Dial 881
The bronze equatorial dial is about 24" diameter, and has equatorial, meridian and horizon rings. It sits on top of a stone pedestal. The equatorial ring is supported by 24 spokes, spaced at 15 degrees. Around the rim 24 hour numerals in Arabic. The twelve signs of the zodiac are spaced every other hour on the equatorial rim. The orientation to true north and inclination were verified to be correct for the site. The sundial was a gift from the Kresser Smith family to the Descanso Gardens Guild in 1987 on the occasion of the guild's 30th anniversary.
 
 
La Crosse Wisconsin USA Equatorial Dial Dial 217
A 40 inch diameter armillary on a 2 foot tall cement cubic base. The original analemma-shaped gnomon was missing and replaced with a section of loose ordinary electric wire. Includes a longitude-correction plaque showing the corrections throughout 15 degrees longitude. Dial sits atop a 26 inch high, 26 inch square pedestal. Robert Allen states that this dial is a scaled down version of the one at the San Diego Zoological Garden, and that there is a similar one at Williams College in Williamstown MA.
 
 
La Grange Kentucky USA Equatorial Dial Dial 955
This equatorial dial is improvised using a 13 inch diameter aluminum plate embossed with fleur de lis around the perimeter. Hour lines run from 6am to 6pm with Arabic markers only at 12 and the 6's.
 
 
La Porte Texas USA Armillary Sphere Dial 216
Approximately 6 foot diameter bronze armillary dial with equatorial, meridian and equinoctial colure rings and with Arctic and Antarctic circle rings. Hour lines have 5 minute marks and Roman numerals. Equatorial ring has Zodiacal signs. Base shows the Great Seal of Texas and includes a bronze eternal flame. Names of fallen heroes are inscribed on the base and paths to and from the dial lead to location of Sam Houston's troops prior to the battle of San Jacinto. The San Jacinto Monument is seen in the distance.
 
 
Lafayette Indiana USA Equatorial Dial Dial 376
An 8 foot high equatorial dial of welded stainless steel with a brass gnomon and brass equatorial ring. The 60 inch diameter equatorial ring is engraved with hour marks and Roman numerals. Dial was commissioned by the cities of Lafayette and West Lafayette in celebration of the Millennium. Dial sits atop a short concrete pedestal.
 
 
Laie Hawaii USA Vertical Dial Dial 1105
To accommodate Hawaii's low latitude, this is a reclining sundial more than a meter (3 feet) in diameter and stands over 2 meters (6 feet) tall. It is carved from a dark, igneous stone with a bronze conical gnomon and set on bronze legs. The sundial includes a separate, stone-carved legend that includes an explanation of how to correct the gnomon shadow-time indicated on the dial for the time of year. The sundial, taken as a whole is reminiscent of a bird, enhanced by the conical gnomon and sun on the horizon given two eyes. At the edge of the dial are symbols of the zodiac
 
 
Lake Buena Vista Florida USA Gnomonic or Projection Dial Dial 221
Conical dial 120 ft. high, 122 ft. diameter at base and has an 85 ft circular opening to the sky. In the middle of the opening is a spherical nodus that casts its shadow into the concrete structure. According to the Guinness Book of Records in 1995, this is the world's largest sundial. Designed by Isozaki and calculated by Ross McCluney, the sundial is a large truncated, slanted cone, with hour markings on the inside. McCluney was NASS's first president.
 
 
Lake Cowichan British Columbia Canada Horizontal Dial Dial 989
This is a beautiful but standard mass-produced dial, with chapter rings for Roman numerals, hour lines, half and quarter hour lines. In the center is the sun surrounded by a compass rose, The dial itself is brass, but sits on a round cast iron base all sitting on a square concrete pillar. The gnomon was vandalized and now is missing. The base is losing its protective coat of paint and starting to rust. A thick hedge has grown up around the sundial, obscuring the sun on the east, south and west sides. It appears to be largely ignored.
 
 
Lake Forest Illinois USA Vertical Dial Dial 805
A vertical south-facing dial, simple in design and visible to the shoppers in the U-shaped town square below. The dial face is plane white with Roman hour numbers fastened to a rod bent in an ellipse. No other delineation (such as solstice and equinox lines) is on the dial face. The gnomon is a simple rod held by an "S" shaped support.
 
 
Lake Havasu City Arizona USA Horizontal Dial Dial 647
An 8 x 9 foot horizontal dial of powder coat painted aluminum panels 1/4-inch thick assembled onto a concrete pad. Perimeter shows Arabic hour numerals 9-2 with 5-minute dots placed in arcs below the numerals. EOT correction is provided through four graphics on the dial face under the gnomon and sliding "T Square" indicators showing the corrections on rulers. EOT values are corrected for longitude. Dial face plates are supported on poured concrete pad. Dial is on private property. Contact the owner to arrange viewing.
 
 
Lake Oswego Oregon USA Analemmatic Dial Dial 763
An analemmatic dial with 20 foot major axis, 14 foot minor axis with hour markers and date line made of sandblasted concrete paver stones. A platform stand on the west side holds instructions on using the dial. A preliminary version of this dial was included on the 2009 NASS Conference Sundial Tour.
 
 
Lake Wales Florida USA Vertical Dial Dial 36
Beautiful vertical dial, approx 12x6 foot of Georgia marble with a brass gnomon approx 5 foot long. Declination lines present. Hour & half hour lines with hours in Roman numerals. Sunburst pattern above gnomon. From the Guidebook, published by the Garden: 'The famous sundial carved on the south wall of the Tower indicates the latitude and longitude of Iron Mountain. It is known as an erect declining dial as it stands vertically at an exact right angle with the surface of the earth... and does not face directly south but is tilted towards the east with a declination of 4 degrees, 20 minutes.' It has an Equation of time chart and shows the days of the months as well. Directions are to 'Add minutes shown for each day to obtain Eastern Standard Time.'
 
 
Lake Wales Florida USA Analemmatic Dial Dial 562
A large stone analemmatic in the Endangered Plant Garden.
 
 
Lakewood New Jersey USA Horizontal Dial Dial 540
A horizontal dial of cast brass or bronze with a 2-foot diameter dial face showing hours in Roman and Arabic numerals. Coordinates and EOT corrections are shown as is the university motto, "Georgian Court: Bonitas, Disciplina, Scientia." Sundial face is also the sun in a scale model of the solar system, with the planets depicted in brass plaques placed at to-scale distances.
 
 
Lakewood New Jersey USA Horizontal Dial Dial 615
A one-foot diameter bronze horizontal dial on a carved marble base depicting three satyrs holding up the dial. Sundial is original to the Gould estate, now Georgian Court University campus. The dial is supported by a carved marble sculpture depicting three satyrs.
 
 
Lampeter Pennsylvania USA Vertical Dial Dial 545
A 32x64-inch cast stone vertical declining dial located 25 feet up a vertical column at the school's entrance. An EOT plaque is located below the dial.
 
 
Lancaster Pennsylvania USA Heliochronometer Dial 875
This 7.5 inch diameter heliochronometer was milled out of aluminum and set to the site latitude with a mounting plate. One heliochronometer arm has a sun illumination counter sunk hole 0.125 inch in diameter and on the other arm an engraved analemma for proper pointing offset to display civil time. Time marks are milled at 5 minute intervals, and a vernier is added (5 lines 4 minutes apart) so that time can be read to the nearest minute.
 
 
Langford British Columbia Canada Horizontal Dial Dial 736
A cast bronze horizontal dial with thick bronze gnomon. Dial face shows hour lines and quarter-hour marks, and Roman hour numerals. Dial center includes a compass rose.
 
 
Lansing Michigan USA Vertical Dial Dial 923
This is a vertical, east-declining sundial, 22 ft 6 in by 15 ft 10 in. The dial is constructed of 6061 aluminum alloy pieces electrostatically painted and bolted together,then mounted on a concrete block wall. The position of the gnomon, hour, solstice, and equinoctial lines are corrected for longitude to show time zone solar time. Stenciled hour line numbers are changed to display DST or EST at appropriate times of the year. Visitors can determine the correct time by referring to an Equation of Time display. During the year, the triangular gnomon tip casts its shadow on the declination lines of summer and winter solstices and equinoxes. This is the largest known vertical sundial in Michigan, and one of the largest in the United States.
 
 
Laramie Wyoming USA Horizontal Dial Dial 159
An ornate 18 inch brass horizontal dial sits on a massive four-stone block pedestal. The dial has hour lines from 4am to 8pm, with hours in roman numerals. Time is graduated into 5-minute intervals. The 12-noon mark is 3/8 inch wide, allowing for the gnomon which is missing.
 
 
Las Cruces New Mexico USA Equatorial Dial Dial 452
A large equatorial dial with steel gnomon. The massive dial is set simply on a set of tiered platforms. The inner tiers are rotated from the outer to align to the cardinal points. Elsie Raye Rigney Carr and Dr. Jesse Lawrence Carr gave the dial to the university in 1975 in memory of Raye Hines Rigney, Class of 1911.
 
 
Las Vegas Nevada USA Equatorial Dial Dial 581
An equatorial dial with partial armillary rings made of stainless steel and brass with chrome trim. Dial face has hour lines for solar and longitude-corrected time. Inscribed with zodiacal symbols and dates. Dial is on private property but may be viewed from street.
 
 
Las Vegas Nevada USA Analemmatic Dial Dial 634
An approximate 10 foot x 6 foot analemmatic dial on pavement sloping 3° to east. Hour lines and sunrise/sunset markers are brass inserts placed in pavement.
 
 
Lawrence Kansas USA Horizontal Dial Dial 263
24x42x42' Concrete, stainless steel 17x2x21' The original limestone pointer and 'Eutin' flower were vandalized and replaced by stainless steel pointer and cast concrete flower.
 
 
League City Texas USA Equatorial Dial Dial 678
A small ornate bronze equatorial dial with Roman numeral hours marked on inside of equatorial ring and Zodiacal signs on back side and also on base of dial. Dial is places on a flagstone and cement pedestal.
 
 
Leesburg Virginia USA Horizontal Dial Dial 255
A small bronze horizontal dial 9.25 inches (23.5 cm) in diameter on an 18 x 18 inch (46 x 46 cm) block of marble. The pedestal of Tennessee marble rests on the back of a carved tortoise. The sides of the square block capital are deeply carved with oak leaves and acorns. When the dial was seen in 1998, the dial was not aligned to north.
 
 
Leisure City Florida USA Obelisk or Vertical Gnomon Dial 814
Amid the many coral blocks (oolitic limestone rock) carved by eccentric Edward Leedskalnin (1887-1951) is a huge monolithic sundial. The gnomon is a horizontal L-shaped piece of iron fastened to the north corner of a limestone block about 8 feet high, weighing about 15 short-tons. Below the gnomon, carved into a second block of limestone is a portion of a hemisphere, smoothly filled in with concrete. Drawn on the hemisphere are analemma shaped hour and half-hour lines from 9am to 4pm. You can read the time with an accuracy of about two-minutes.
 
 
Lewisburg Pennsylvania USA Cylindrical Dial Dial 445
A large, ornate equatorial dial of brass sits outside the physics department building. The dial is approximately 8 feet across. Two pillars with brass balls support the dial plate. Two more pillars with ball support the gnomon wire. To add a flourish, the north most pillar and ball have a spread eagle holding the gnomon wire in its mouth. Unfortunately this beautiful dial is tarnished by age, with the analemmas for each hour barely visible on the dial plate. The gnomon wire, broken sometime in the past, is jury-rigged and tied together in the middle, resulting in a unkempt look to such a fine dial. A dark, round stone base, perhaps made of slate, approximately 8 foot in diameter supports the dial and pillars. The stone sits upon a 10 x 10 foot concrete pad.
 
 
Lexington Kentucky USA Horizontal Dial Dial 606
A 14 foot diameter horizontal dial of granite, marble and limestone with shrubbery delineation in the center of a cul de sac street. The hour lines are shaped to include analemmas to correct for EOT and are adjusted for longitude and DST. The shadow of the tip of the gnomon traces declination lines for solstices and equinoxes.
 
 
Lincoln Nebraska USA Equatorial Dial Dial 415
The Carroll Moore Memorial Dial is an equatorial disk dial built by Cold Spring Granite Co. The granite base weighs 6,270 lbs. and is about 6 ft. in diameter. The granite dial plate weighs 3,420 lbs. and is 5 ft. 8 in. in diameter. The stainless steel 5 inch gnomon rod weighs 200 lbs and is approximately 6 feet long from end to end through the equatorial disk. The dial face has hour marks for all 24 hour hours, placed for symmetrical effect rather than for practical time telling. The hours are rotated slightly to account for longitude so that 12:30 is the nearly vertical hour line.
 
 
Little Rock Arkansas USA Horizontal Dial Dial 352
The Arkansas Sesquicentennial Sundial. Monumental horizontal dial in a 40 ft square patio made of stones from significant sites of the world. The gnomon is 17 feet high by 21.5 ft. long. The sundial won First Place in the International Bricklayers & Allied Craftsmens Union - presented every 5 years. It featured an outer adornment of brick contributed from over 70 nations. SUNDIAL WAS DESTROYED and no longer exists - Apr 2002
 
 
Little Rock Arkansas USA Vertical Dial Dial 561
A 36-inch radius antiqued brass vertical dial declining 16.3° east of south mounted on exterior wall of private home. A separate bronze plaque shows EOT, dial coordinates and motto. Viewing of dial can be arranged by calling the owner.
 
 
Littleton Colorado USA Equatorial Dial Dial 511
The Littleton War sundial is an Erickson equatorial polar dial 6 feet in diameter made of light granite with a 3 inch steel rod as gnomon. Time is graduated by hour, half-hour, quarter hours and 5 minute marks over 24 hours. Noon is at the bottom, matching the 105 degree meridian. Designed to be read from the upper surface in Spring/Summer, from the under side in Fall/Winter. A plaque provides the Equation of Time to convert solar time to watch time. Dial is in a beautiful setting.
 
 
Lloydminster Alberta Canada Horizontal Dial Dial 392
At 197 feet in diameter, this is one of the largest horizontal dials in North America. It's location is on the 4th meridian at 110:0 west, a line that separates Alberta and Saskatchewan and divides the city of Lloydminister in half. The gnomon is constructed from 8 inch black schedule 40 - carbon steel pipe that is painted yellow. It is 23 feet in length and is supported on a reinforced concrete base 30 inches wide and 8 feet long. It is surrounded by massive boulders partially buried in the ground. The giant hour lines are made of pavers laid on a sand and gravel base. The raised hour numbers are sandblasted on 16 inch square treated timber posts that are mounted in concrete.
 
 
Logan Utah USA Analemmatic Dial Dial 804
Work to design and make the Analemmatic Sundial was done by students of the sixth grade science class and teacher Eric Newell in 2005. The central walkway uses stepping stones sandblasted with the name of the months. John Westenskow's ceramics classes at Mount Logan Middle School made the time stones. Students surveyed and plotted the location of the stones and provided the physical labor to dig holes and pour cement.
 
 
Logan Ohio USA Analemmatic Dial Dial 982
An analemmatic dial set in a gravel rectangle. It has a concrete walkway and circular hour markers in two ellipses for standard and daylight time. The hour numbers are adjusted for longitude, shifting them by 30 minutes (such that the due north line reads 12:30).
 
 
Lombard Illinois USA Horizontal Dial Dial 1075
Classic black cast iron sundial 9.5 inches (24 cm) in diameter. Chapter ring with Roman numerals 5am - 7pm. Delineated with notches every fifteen minutes. Cast iron gnomon with bird interior, painted as brass. No noon gap for the half-inch (1.25 cm) thick gnomon. The original red oak wood pedestal was rebuilt in the summer of 2022. For added durability the pedestal was finished with several coats of Epifanes Yacht Enamel
 
 
London Ontario Canada Heliochronometer Dial 62
A brass Pilkington-Gibbs heliochronomer aligned to the celestial equator. Rotate the helioscope until the sun shines from the upper hole to the lower plate, then read the time from an accompanying dial. The Pilkington-Gibbs dial includes a patented cam mechanism to adjust for the Equation of Time.