Sundials of North America

This is a complete listing of sundials in the North American Sundial Society Registry. Click on any dial thumbnail picture or city name to display the full dial listing and images. To see sundials from a particular state or province, you may click on the list at right to see all registered sundials in that state, province or country (at bottom) displayed in city order.

You may also type into the NASS search field at upper right any search word such as "equatorial" to get a list of all articles mentioning equatorial dials and a list of all equatorial sundials in the registry. (Try other dial types: "vertical", "horizontal", etc).

 
 
Lake Wales Florida USA Analemmatic Dial Dial 562
A large stone analemmatic in the Endangered Plant Garden.
 
 
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.
 
 
Humboldt Saskatchewan Canada Armillary Sphere Dial 560
An equatorial armillary.
 
 
Grand Falls - Grand-Sault New Brunswick Canada Horizontal Dial Dial 559
A horizontal dial using a 12 foot diameter blackened steel ring dial face and 8 foot high blackened steel gnomon. Dial face uses Roman numerals with XII at north.
 
 
Woodside California USA Horizontal Dial Dial 558
A 15 inch diameter well-patinaed horizontal bronze dial on a stone pillar. This dial was designed for a different location. The hour lines are cut for 50? N; the gnomon angle is 46.5? and is miss-located on the dial face.
 
 
Cambridge Massachusetts USA Horizontal Dial Dial 557
A well-patinaed horizontal bronze dial on a stone pillar.
 
 
Cambridge Massachusetts USA Horizontal Dial Dial 556
A stone horizontal dial on a pedestal about 4 ft. high donated to Harvard by class of 1870.
 
 
Englewood Colorado USA Gnomonic or Projection Dial Dial 555
An internal cylindrical dial on the walls of the entrance tower to the Science Building of Kent Denver School. A glass-covered 1/8 inch aperture in the center of ceiling dome projects a spot light onto the inner vertical cylindrical wall of the vestibule. Aluminum strips mark the solar altitude and azimuth. Bronze strips mark the equinox and summer solstice. Bronze and nickel domed nails form the hour analemmas showing Mountain Standard Time with daylight savings time below. The dial design is by science teacher David Potter and architect Paul Hutton proportioned the "Sun Tower" so the summer solstice noon mark would be at the bottom of the cylindrical wall. Artwork on the ceiling includes a hand-painted winking "Sol" in a 24 point compass rose.
 
 
St. Louis Missouri USA Vertical Dial Dial 553
A vertical dial of limestone and copper held in the hands of an angle statue.
 
 
Jemez Springs New Mexico USA Analemmatic Dial Dial 552
Analemmatic dial of cast concrete 6m E-W by 2.2m N-S
 
 
Seaside Florida USA Horizontal Dial Dial 551
A large horizontal dial of cement and gravel within a 30 foot diameter hedge. Unfortunately, this dial no longer exists and was lost to commercial development.
 
 
Sheboygan Falls Wisconsin USA Horizontal Dial Dial 550
A 20 inch octagonal dial of bluestone on a 28 inch high base. The gnomon matches the latitude angle and the hour lines are approximate for a generalized geographic area.
 
 
Claremore Oklahoma USA Horizontal Dial Dial 549
A 24x36 foot all-concrete horizontal dial with marks to indicate summer solstice and equinox. Located on private property; contact owner Dan Wilson to arrange viewing.
 
 
Delphos Ohio USA Horizontal Dial Dial 548
A horizontal dial on a stone block. Dedicated to Leslie C. Peltier, recognized as "World's greatest non-professional astronomer" by Harvard Observatory. Dial sits atop a stone block, possibly marble.
 
 
Elburn Illinois USA Horizontal Dial Dial 547
A 30-inch diameter cast bronze dial with natural patina after more than 30 years exposure. Replaces a "garden" dial donated by Class of 1967 but destroyed by vandals. Dial is located on campus of private school but available for viewing during daylight hours.
 
 
Norwich Connecticut USA Horizontal Dial Dial 546
A well-patinaed horizontal dial placed atop a stone column. Dial sits atop a cast aggregate column.
 
 
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.
 
 
Tucson Arizona USA Vertical Dial Dial 544
Four vertical dials on the faces of a 100-inch tall redwood cupola on the roof of a private residence. The 21-inch dial faces are kiln-fired porcelain on steel; the bezels and gnomons are copper. The dials are longitude corrected for MST. Three dials have solar noon marks.
 
 
Kaneohe Hawaii USA Armillary Sphere Dial 543
A 32-inch diameter bronze armillary dial with extensive Polynesian-themed motif. An integral plaque provides corrections for EOT and longitude within HST. The armillary includes ten bronze rings: horizon; solstitial colure (meridian); equinoctial (equator); Tropic of Cancer; Tropic of Capricorn; Arctic circle; Antarctic circle; "prime vertical circle" perpendicular to the meridian circle and horizon that spans from east to zenith to west; equinoctial colure perpendicular to meridian circle and equator passing through the north and south poles; and an "upright ring" inscribed with Zodiacal signs between the prime vertical and equator.
 
 
Springfield Vermont USA Vertical Dial Dial 542
A 52x55 inch painted wood vertical dial designed and built by Russell Porter. The wood gnomon is stabilized by copper sheet. Available for viewing at the summer Stellafane Telescope Makers conference or by arrangement by email with owner.
 
 
Gila New Mexico USA Polar Dial Dial 541
An 8x4 foot painted plywood polar dial. Contact owner M. Cuff for access.
 
 
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.
 
 
Halton Hills Ontario Canada Analemmatic Dial Dial 539
A stone analemmatic dial with engraved seasonal dates and brass hour markers. The dial is located in Lucy Maude Montgomery Garden, built to celebrate the author of the Anne of Green Gable stories and who lived in Norval, now known as Halton Hills.
 
 
Merida Yucatan Mexico Equatorial Dial Dial 538
Generally identified as an equatorial, this stone cylindrical cavity dial uses the extremities of the semicircular dial plate as two independent styles. The dial face is marked with six equally-spaced hour lines with minor subdivisions. The east style casts the 6 AM to noon shadow while the west style casts the noon to 6 PM shadow. No construction date is give but is likely 18th century or earlier.
 
 
Merida Yucatan Mexico Vertical Dial Dial 537
This is south-facing vertical or scratch dial with horizontal gnomon and located on the roof at the front of an early church monastery cloister. The stone dial is approximately 3 feet square. The north face is similarly inscribed. This is among the earliest sundials in North America.
 
 
Culver City California USA Equatorial Dial Dial 536
Located near the edge of a hill in Culver Park, this dial commands a fine view of the surrounding communities. The equatorial dial face is a six foot diameter, six inch thick brass ring supported by a 24 foot long steel gnomon six inches in diameter. The gnomon is anchored in a concrete oval-shaped base covered with tile and mosaics. The base and three surrounding water-drop shape ovals are inscribed with the word "Time" in the 12 languages spoken in Culver City. Ballona Creek, visible from the sundial, once provided transportation, food and recreation for a thriving native American population and later for Spanish-origin ranch owners. The dial north face has the 1:00 hour line at the bottom for Daylight Savings Time while the south face has the 12:00 hour line at the bottom for standard time. A bronze plaque states time is read from the center of the gnomon shadow and briefly discusses the equation of time. The dial is not longitude corrected and indicates local apparent time.
 
 
Pearl City, Oahu Hawaii USA Horizontal Dial Dial 535
A 28 foot stone horizontal dial with 8 foot high black wood and fiberglass gnomon located in a children's Sundial Garden. Hour markers are Roman numerals cast into concrete blocks. Dial is screened by koa and lonomea trees.
 
 
Woodbridge Virginia USA Horizontal Dial Dial 534
A large 62 foot diameter horizontal sundial of grey concrete and brick with a 10 foot high steel gnomon. The dial was designed to memorialize the victims of the 9/11/2001 terrorism and includes four inlaid plaques on which the gnomon shadow falls at 8:45, 9:03, 9:37 and 10:07 AM, the times of the four air crashes. Hour markers are inset brass Roman numerals. The hour lines and NESW compass rose are 2 inch wide inset brass strips.
 
 
Tucson Arizona USA Vertical Dial Dial 533
A declining vertical stained glass "Gecko" sundial 58 x 20 inches consisting of 153 colored glass pieces and exterior rod gnomon with triangular base. Paintings on 11 glass pieces use vitreous kiln-fired enamels and stains. Dial and four adjacent panels consisting of 540 glass pieces are set in bay window overlooking succulent garden containing additional sundials. Dial glass panel includes painting of a Tucson Banded Gecko stalking fly, a star field, sun face and solar noon mark. Dial declines 27.4? east of south. Contact owner John Carmichael to arrange viewing.
 
 
Saratoga Springs New York USA Horizontal Dial Dial 532
A marble horizontal dial on marble sculpture pedestal. The original bronze Treble Cleft gnomon is now missing.
 
 
Heber City Utah USA Horizontal Dial Dial 531
A 51 x 36 foot horizontal dial with a 21 foot welded silicon bronze gnomon standing 14 feet high. The hour lines are copper inlaid in concrete and the hour markers are 4 inch high bronze Arabic numerals. At solar noon, sunlight passing through a slit in the gnomon illuminates the noon marker with a line of sunlight while prisms on the end of the gnomon project rainbows onto this line of light, making the sculpture a seasonal calendar as well as a way to tell time. Created by sculptor Robert Perless, Sun Dagger functions as a unique celestial observatory to amplify the synergy of man and nature. It also works as a seasonal calendar, celebrating the winter and summer solstices and the vernal and autumnal equinoxes with rainbows crossing the line of sunlight from the gnomon slit and falling on inscribed plaques.
 
 
Greenville Delaware USA Equatorial Dial Dial 530
A 15-inch cast aluminum equatorial sundial designed and built by Richard Schmoyer originally installed in 1972 and replaced in 1985 after theft. A three-dimensional analemmic gnomon corrects for Equation of Time. The observatory is open to the public every weekday morning.
 
 
Fullerton California USA Horizontal Dial Dial 529
This 18-inch cast bronze horizontal dial is located in front of Heritage House, the relocated office and home of early Fullerton physician Dr. George C. Clark. The gnomon edge is tapered to a single style. Dial sits atop a cylindrical cast concrete pedestal 28-inches high.
 
 
Granville Ohio USA Horizontal Dial Dial 528
This horizontal sundial is built on a one-meter cube of red granite with a cast bronze gnomon supported by a cast bronze Pegasus modeled by New York artist Carl Paul Jennewein. The dial's plaza location overlooks the village of Granville and the valley beyond to the south. The dial is a tribute to Clifford S. Stilwell (Denison Class of 1912) who was Chairman of the Denison Board of Trustees at his death in 1941. The early B&W photograph of the Pegasus gnomon is courtesy of Denison University Archives.
 
 
Orange Massachusetts USA Vertical Dial Dial 527
A vertical sundial built from Eastern White Pine local-grown timber. The dial face is 35x44 inches and the gnomon is a 3 inch long aluminum rod. Hour lines include analemmas and the spring and fall lines are painted different colors with corresponding dates identified. Solstice and equinox lines are shown.
 
 
Crestwood Missouri USA Analemmatic Dial Dial 526
This is a colorful analemmatic sundial 18 feet 6 inches overall diameter built of colored concrete. It is located on the grounds of a private elementary school in an area designated as a Sundial Garden. The sundial is surrounded by elevated flower planter boxes. The E-W markers are 10 feet apart and the date line is marked. The dial face shows the cardinal directions and phases of the moon. Viewing can be arranged by contacting Long Elementary School M-F 8:30 AM-3:15 PM.
 
 
St. Louis Missouri USA Horizontal Dial Dial 525
This horizontal sundial is a 30 inch diameter and 1.5 inch thick sealed, copper-coated steel plate with cast lead hour markers and weighs 250 pounds. Built in 2002, it was installed in September, 2004 in a private home rear yard. Dial is supported by 6x6 inch pressure treated wood post with 4x4 inch cross frame. Viewing can be arranged by contacting the owner.
 
 
Renton Washington USA Horizontal Dial Dial 524
A 44 x 60 foot horizontal dial with 20 foot tall stainless steel gnomon. This may be the largest horizontal dial in the state of Washington. Five colors of concrete define distinct parts of the dial and pathways (the 8 o?clock and 5 o?clock hour lines are walkways between buildings). Other hour lines have concrete benches and stainless steel discs to mark each hour, plus inlaid bronze discs for daylight saving time. Hour lines have inset disks to indicate the hour, one disk for each counted hour 6 AM to 7 PM. The mid-day N-S hour line features thirteen hour disks; the previous hour has 12 disks and the next hour is marked with two disks. The N-S hour line may include one disk that is also a light to illuminate the gnomon at night.
 
 
Amherst Massachusetts USA Sun Alignment Dial 523
On the fields of U-Mass is a work called "sunwheel" that is a modern presentation of an American Indian sun-wheel. A circle 130 feet in diameter has 14 major stones weighing 56 tons, 12 minor stones, and 4 flat stones at the center. 2 major stones mark the N and S cardinal points; a pair of portal stones mark the E and W points allowing an uninterrupted view of sunrise and sunset at the equinoxes; 4 stones mark sunrise and sunset at the solstices; and 4 more stones mark the extreme northern and southern positions of moon rise and moon set. Guided presentations can be arranged by calling 413-545-4311.
 
 
Sebastopol California USA Globe or Hemispheric Dial 522
The sundial is a cement globe of the earth 28 inches in diameter inclined at 40 degrees, a bit off the site's 38' 20" N latitude. The globe is oriented with the site longitude on the upper meridian so that shadows across the globe represent the true sun angle at that moment. A rod through the globe casts a shadow onto the north polar regions in the summer. At the southern end is a small equatorial dial with hour lines from 8am to 4pm.
 
 
Graylake Illinois USA Sun Alignment Dial 521
"Sun Pivot" is a set of vertical "gatestones" that allow the viewing of two major solar alignments: The summer sunrise stone is set about 33 degrees north of east while the equinox stone is set due east. The angular cuts in the gatestones allows the framing of the sunrise event above the stones, which are set about 200 feet away in a field of prairie grass.
 
 
Berryville Virginia USA Horizontal Dial Dial 520
This lovely horizontal dial was originally located in New York City NY on the grounds of the Doubleday & Co. book manufacturing plant. It was subsequently moved to Berryville VA in 1956, and is now part of Berryville Graphics. The sundial stands about 4 feet high and has a brass reproduction of the Gutenberg Bible of Forty Two Lines (originally produced around 1455) and the hour markers are brass plates of twelve printers' marks from the earliest printers.
 
 
Farrell Pennsylvania USA Sculpture/Artwork Dial 519
"Rising Rings" is a cast iron band 11 feet high by 17 feet in diameter with a hole that casts a beam of light onto a central ring monument on the equinoxes. The dial was commissioned by Dr. Swraj Paul, a steel mill owner, to honor his daughter Ambika who died in 1968 of leukemia at age four. This monument honors the inspiration her joy of life instilled in her father. At the central of the dial is a cast iron ring that holds a bronze image of her that is illuminated for several days twice a year. On two dates, Ambika's birthday and the anniversary of the mill's re-opening the noon sunlight passes through the circular opening in the larger ring and strikes markers on the inner ring. Miklos Simon created the portrait of Ambika mounted on the smaller ring.
 
 
Redding California USA Horizontal Dial Dial 518
When is a bridge not a bridge? When it's almost a sundial. The 217 foot high suspension span called Sundial Bridge wants to be a sundial, and has come very close. The suspension pylon is aligned true north, but unfortunately performs as an inaccurate gnomon with an inclination of 49 deg (for bridge functionality) rather than for the 40.6 deg latitude of the site. The bridge is 700 feet long and weighs 1,600 tons. Funding for the bridge comes from the McConnell Foundation, Redding Redevelopment Agency, Federal Highway Administration, and Turtle Bay Exploration Park
 
 
Watkins Glen New York USA Horizontal Dial Dial 517
A simple horizontal dial made of slate with a copper gnomon. Hour lines are brass rods artfully arranged from 6am to 6pm. The hour lines are corrected for longitude.
 
 
Montour Falls New York USA Horizontal Dial Dial 516
A beautiful bronze dial approximately 12 inches long in the shape of a shield. Below the gnomon is a rising sun. On first look, the small dial plate appears backward, with AM and PM hours reversed. However, the inclination of the gnomon is about 48 degrees, suggesting that this pedestal mounted dial is really meant to be a south facing vertical dial! The dial sits atop a circular granite pedestal about 2.5 feet in diameter.
 
 
Winter Park Florida USA Horizontal Dial Dial 515
A 12-inch diameter horizontal bronze dial set on a simple fluted pedestal. The dial face includes hour lines with half hour and ten minute marks and a central compass rose. The gnomon includes an adjusting screw allowing the gnomon angle to be set to the latitude angle. The dial is located in a small garden area of an elementary school and includes a nearby flagstone bench. The walkway around the dial is of red bricks inscribed with the names of graduating students. Students learned of the death of a 9 year old classmate and through their fundraising efforts helped establish this memorial dial in their schoolyard. A visitor's pass is required from the administration office before viewing.
 
 
Brighton Colorado USA Equatorial Dial Dial 514
This equatorial dial is one of the more distinctive Erickson Monument dials. It is octagonal about 4 feet across, made of white granite. It has a supporting stainless steel rod as gnomon. Hours from 4am to 8pm with 15 minute divisions. The hours are not rotated for longitude, placing the 12pm hour directly at nadir. Below the sundial is a plaque containing a graph of the equation of time.
 
 
Nantucket Massachusetts USA Compound Dial Dial 513
A combination of horizontal dial and gnomonic projection dial. The dial is about 2 x 3 feet made of DuPont Corian sitting upon a simple wood pedestal. A small horizontal dial about 8 inches in diameter with a triangular brass gnomon tells Daylight Saving Time using Roman numerals. Then a larger gnomonic dial is inscribed on the remaining surface, telling time from the shadow of the tip of the triangular gnomon. The gnomonic dial has hourly analemmas,telling time using Arabic numbers in Standard Time. Both dial lines are offset for the longitude of 70 degrees west. The gnomonic dial has declination lines for each month. A small analemma on the meridian has the letters of the months, indicating how to read the hourly analemmas depending upon the date. The dial is built to be read from the north, so the user's shadow does not interfere.
 
 
Waukesha Wisconsin USA Horizontal Dial Dial 512
A large horizontal dial in a circular plaza made of tan concrete and red brick. The concrete gnomon stands about 16 feet tall. No hour lines are drawn on the plaza, but the hours are set in a circular ring at the edge of the plaza.