- This is a round,stone sundial 48-inches (122cm) in diameter with a plain triangular gnomon. The chapter ring has Roman hours etched from 5am to 7pm, delineated in quarter hours. The dial sits 8-inches (20cm) above a 60-inch (152cm) wide concrete base. Official town records show that this dial was donated to the town of Clarksville to commemorate the country's Bicentennial in 1976. The inscription says the dial was dedicated to George Rogers Clark, the town’s founder and a Revolutionary War hero. He was the brother of William Clark of “Lewis & Clark Expedition” fame.
The original gnomon was stolen around 2020. The replacement was fabricated and installed in 2024 with advice from NASS. It is a simple steel wedge, 11” in height, pointing north and angled at 38 degrees, proper for the location.
The dial was originally located in the town park and golf course approximately 4.5 miles (7.2km) north of the current location. City records show that the dial was in storage from 2002 until 2010, when it was installed at the current location. The dial overlooks the Ohio River, a short distance from the falls and from the site where George Rogers Clark built a homestead. On a historical note: Meriwether Lewis and William Clark formed the Corps of Discovery for the first time in Clarksville, Indiana, in October of 1803. Lewis prepared for the expedition for many months, and on August 31, 1803, left Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania traveling down the Ohio River to Clarksville. There, Lewis would join forces with Clark who was staying with his brother, Revolutionary War General George Rogers Clark, in the General's log cabin overlooking the Falls of the Ohio. Historian and author, the late Stephen Ambrose, memorialized the meeting in his book, Undaunted Courage, when he penned the phrase, "When they shook hands, the Lewis and Clark Expedition began." Today that handshake is captured in a life-size statue in front of the Interpretive Center at the Falls of the Ohio State Park.
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