 Dunbar built an astronomical observatory in Union Hill near his Natchez home and opened it to the public.His plantation home, "The Forest", became a meeting place for scholars; men such as naturalist William Bartram and ornithologist Alexander Wilson were frequent guests.In 1799 Daniel Clark, US consul for New Orleans, introduced Dunbar to Thomas Jefferson (then Vice President) through a letter, saying ""for Science, Probity & general information [he] is the first Character in this part of the World"".