The earliest use of the telegraph, on the University of Michigan Campus, can be traced to the Detroit Observatory. In an 1861 Map of Ann Arbor, telegraph wires are seen going from the Observatory to the railroad tracks on Depot Street.
In the 1861-1864 Property Inventory of the University, telegraph keys and a sounder are listed. Additionally, a MacKay Telegraph Key and a Sounder were found in the Detroit Observatory. Both items are on display in the “shack”. Permanently mounted at the base of the main telescope is another Sounder.
