Bernice Morrison (1857-1947) was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 heiress

Beneficiary

A beneficiary in the broadest sense is a natural person or other legal entity who receives money or other benefits from a benefactor. For example: The beneficiary of a life insurance policy, is the person who receives the payment of the amount of insurance after the death of the insured...

 and benefactor of the Morrison Observatory

Morrison Observatory

Morrison Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Central Methodist University located in Fayette, Missouri . It was named after Bernice Morrison who, in 1874, pledged $100,000 to C. W. Pritchett for the construction of the observatory. Half of that amount would go the...

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Bernice Morrison was born in St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

 to William M. Morrison and Sara Catherine "Kate" Swinney (The famous Paddle Wheeler "Kate Swinney" was named after her). After both of her parents died at an early age, she was raised by her maternal grandparents, Captain William Daniel Swinney and Lucy Ann Jones who owned a tobacco plantation in Glasgow, Missouri

Glasgow, Missouri

Glasgow is a city in Chariton and Howard counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 1,263 at the 2000 census.The Howard County portion of Glasgow is part of the Columbia, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

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Her name lives on in central Missouri because in 1874 she pledged $100,000 to Carr Waller Pritchett

Carr Waller Pritchett, Sr.

Carr Waller Pritchet, Sr. 1823-1910 was an American educator and astronomer. He was the first President of Pritchett College in Glasgow, Missouri and the first director of the Morrison Observatory, also in Glasgow. C. W...

 to build a world class telescope in Glasgow at the Pritchett Institute

Pritchett College

Pritchett College was a small institution that operated in Glasgow, Missouri from 1866 until 1922. It was founded as Pritchett School Institute and became known as Pritchett College after 1897.-History:...

. The telescope and the Morrison Observatory

Morrison Observatory

Morrison Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Central Methodist University located in Fayette, Missouri . It was named after Bernice Morrison who, in 1874, pledged $100,000 to C. W. Pritchett for the construction of the observatory. Half of that amount would go the...

 were moved to nearby Fayette, Missouri

Fayette, Missouri

Fayette is a city in Howard County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,793 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Howard County. It is in the Columbia, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

 during the early part of the 1930's. It stands there today as one of Central Missouri's hidden treasures as a fully functional piece of science history operated by Central Methodist University

Central Methodist University

Central Methodist University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university located in Fayette, Missouri. CMU is an accredited four year institution of higher education and offers masters, bachelors, and associates degrees...

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Also of some interest are her memoirs entitled Plantation Life in Missouri, which expose details of a mostly forgotten period of Missouri history.