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.

 

Kentucky

 
Frankfort Kentucky USA Horizontal Dial Dial 90
The Kentucky Vietnam Veterans Memorial features a 7090 square foot plaza with a monumental 86x68 foot horizontal dial of granite slabs with a 14.6 foot high gnomon of welded stainless steel plates.
 
 
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.
 
 
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.
 
 
Louisville Kentucky USA Equatorial Dial Dial 234
Park rangers set up a 16 x 20 inch portable equatorial sundial. The dial is used for teaching a solar energy class.
 
 
Louisville Kentucky USA Horizontal Dial Dial 1025
The classic brass horizontal sundial is 10-1/2 inches in diameter with a large chapter ring of Roman hours marked from VI to VI. Noon is marked by "O". However, the hour and minute lines that extend inward and run in quarter hours from 4am to 8pm. At the south end of the dial is the traditional hour glass with wings. The gnomon is also classic with a bird supporting the style. The dial sits on a granite cap 7 inches thick held by a decorated and fluted column 22-1/2 inches tall. This in turn sits on a two-tier dais 14 inches high with the top tier inscribed "VAUGHAN" for the family plot.
 
 
Louisville Kentucky USA Horizontal Dial Dial 1026
This horizontal bronze dial is 9 1/2 inches in diameter with Roman hour marks from V to VII, delineated in quarter hours. Noon is marked by a thin trapezoid. Outside the dial is a surround of another ring with semi-circular words around the dial: "We live by deeds, not years". A classic hour glass with wings decorates the dial face. The gnomon is in good condition, but slightly bent. The dial sits atop a white marble pedestal 45 inches tall. The pedestal sits on a base two-foot square approximately 13 inches in height. Above the base the pedestal tapers upward, narrowing to an 11 inch square that holds the dial and the surround.
 
 
Louisville Kentucky USA Armillary Sphere Dial 1027
This bronze armillary has equatorial and meridian bands 18 inches in diameter. The equatorial band is 2 inches wide with Arabic Hour marks on the inside of the band and zodiac symbols on the outside. The gnomon rod is a traditional arrow 31 inches long. The sphere’s metal base is 7.5 inches in diameter and is decorated with the signs of the zodiac. The armillary sits atop a graceful round column 37.5 inches tall, including the 14x14x2 inch cap. The base is 16x16x2.5 inches. This in turn sits on a two-tier dais 10 inches high with the top tier inscribed "RIDGE" for the family plot.
 
 
Louisville Kentucky USA Horizontal Dial Dial 1029
The classic brass horizontal sundial is 11 inches in diameter with a large chapter ring of Roman hours marked from VI to VI. Noon is marked by "O". However, the hour and minute lines that extend inward and run in quarter hours from 4am to 8pm. At the south end of the dial is the traditional hour glass with wings. The gnomon is also classic with a bird supporting the style. Unfortunately the dial is aligned to magnetic north. The dial sits on a thick square cap 12 x 12 x 5 inches. Beneath is a graceful round pedestal 24 inches tall that rests on a square plinth 12 x 12 x 5 inches.
 
 
Louisville Kentucky USA Horizontal Dial Dial 1032
The Griswold-style bronze dial is 11 inches (28 cm)in diameter and closely aligned to true North. The gnomon is set at a generic angle of 40°, while the site latitude is 38°. The dial sits atop a fluted stone column 38 inches (96.5 cm) tall that has a round cap of 16.5 inches (42 cm) diameter and 4 inches (10 cm) thick. The column sits on a two-part square base with an upper tier that is 17.75 inches (44.5 cm) on each side and 3 inches (7.6 cm) high and a bottom tier that is 22 inches (56 cm) on each side and 7.5 inches (19 cm) high and engraved with the family name “STEIN.”
 
 
Louisville Kentucky USA Horizontal Dial Dial 1038
This 11-inch (28cm) octagonal bronze horizontal dial uses arrowheads as a subtle design element. The 14 hour lines are represented as long arrows aimed at the base of the gnomon and are delineated to quarter hours. . The hours are marked in Roman numerals, but only from 6AM to 6PM. There are three curved lines of unequal length that partially encircle the dial indicating the amount of daylight in the and each one ends with a pointed tip. The marker for Noon resembles the Roman symbol for Mars, with its arrowhead pointing straight up. A winged hourglass graces the southern portion of the dial face.
 
 
Louisville Kentucky USA Armillary Sphere Dial 1040
This bronze armillary’s equatorial ring is 1.25 inches wide and 16.25 inches in diameter. The inside of the ring has Roman numerals denoting the hours from 5:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The outside of the ring is decorated with dogwood blossoms, a traditional Christian symbol of resurrection. The serrated meridian band is 1.25 inches wide and it has an outside diameter of 18 inches. The small horizontal band is 0.5 inches wide. The arrow is 29.5 inches long. It points in a westerly direction, meaning the dial is decorative but not useful for telling time.
 
 
Louisville Kentucky USA Horizontal Dial Dial 1043
This elegant brass horizontal dial was custom made for this site, as evidenced by the word GARDENCOURT and the site’s latitude 38° 15’ cast into the plate at the bottom. The dial is 13.75 inches in diameter, with a design of a series of concentric rings. The innermost ring has 17 lines radiating out from the foot of the gnomon toward the Roman numerals in the third circle. Each of these lines is connected by a graceful curve at its end to the adjacent line, creating a chestnut leaf motif in the inner circle. The next circle is a chapter ring of Roman hours marked from IV to VIII, embellished at the bottom with a stylized oak-leaf. A thin decorative band surrounds that ring. The outermost band contains the inscription and the name of the estate. The gnomon is a simple wedge, cut at the correct angle for the site. Unfortunately it is bent slight off true north.
 
 
Park City Kentucky USA Horizontal Dial Dial 314
A beautiful horizontal dial 25 inches in diameter with a 9 inch gnomon. Has hour and half hour lines from 5 am to 7pm with 10 minute marks. South of the gnomon is an intricately engraved Great Seal of The United States of America. The dial is of Coconino sandstone and sits on a brick surround.