Video: Hartness-Porter Astronomy Museum

Dr. David Devorkin, Senior Curator for history of astronomy and the space sciences at the Smithsonian's Air & Space Museum, was in town this past week and gives us this video tour of Springfield's underground astronomy museum.  (Not open to the public.)

Secrets of the Hartness House Hartness Underground Workshop and Hartness-Porter Museum James Hartness and Russell Porter The Hartness House was built by former Governor of Vermont, engineer, chief executive officer, inventor and wealthy industrialist James Hartness. This country inn is unique in that it features its own museum, astronomy observatory and antique telescope with a unique equatorial drive system. More unusual is the secret tunnel system built by Hartness to access the observatory, museum and his secret workshop. Guests of the Hartness House Inn have an opportunity to tour the secret tunnel, view the private workshop of Mr. Hartness, and see the observatory and telescope. Guided tours are given by reservation only to guests of the Inn and by private invitation of the owners and Stellafane club members. The Hartness secret underground tunnel was built in 1912. At that time, James Hartness also built an extensive secret underground room complex. More than 10 rooms comprise this private santcuary that Hartness built to provide imself with a quiet workplace. In James Hartness' lifetime he was granted 119 patents for many inventions -- several of which provided him with the wealth he is known for. In February 1924, Popular Science magazine did a feature article on the underground system of rooms and tunnels including this drawing of the underground network of rooms and tunnels. In 1973, Stellafane, formerly the Springfield Telescope Makers Club, place their museum in the Hartness underground apartments. Today, the collection spans four rooms and showcases more than 14 telescopes, historical instruments, artist watercolor and oil paintings, photographs, drawings and illustrations. The collection chronicles the contribution of Russell Porter in Springfield Vermont and later at the Hale Observatory in Mount Palomar, California. The Hartness-Porter Museum fetures two telescopes made by early members of the Springfield Telescope Makers Club: Oscar Fullam and Frank Whitney. Both telescopes illustrate superior quality workmanship.