In 1968, the Whipple Observatory 10m optical reflector was put into operation for ground-based studies of VHE gamma-ray sources; between 1968 and 1978 the Smithsonian group was active in developing atmospheric Cherenkov detectors to detect gamma-rays in the TeV energy range. The Whipple Gamma-Ray Collaboration was formed in 1982 to exploit the potential of the imaging technique. The Whipple Gamma-Ray Collaboration has recently completed its GRANITE III upgrade in which the 109 pixel camera (used in the initial detections of the Crab Nebula, Markarian 421 and Markarian 501) has been replaced by a wide field 331 pixel camera (in 1997) and a high resolution, 490 pixel, camera (in 1999).