Skip to Main Content

Springfield, Vermont: Underground Telescope Museum

An eight-room underground complex, built by an amateur astronomer so that he could be warm while he looked through his telescope, which poked up above ground.

Hartness House Inn

Address:
30 Orchard St., Springfield, VT
Directions:
Hartness Telescope Museum and Observatory, Hartness House Inn.
Hours:
By appt.: Webmaster@Stellafane.org (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
Phone:
802-885-2115
Admission:
Free, Donations accepted
Save to My Sights

Visitor Tips and News About Underground Telescope Museum

Reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters. Some tips may not be verified. Submit your own tip.

Underground Telescope Museum

Underground Telescope Museum

Hartness Telescope Museum and Observatory is a unique underground museum on the Hartness House Inn estate grounds. The museum is reached by going into the Inn's 250 foot underground tunnel leading to the eight room underground complex and museum.

The museum features over 300 exhibits chronicling the beginning of amateur telescope-making from 1910 right up to present. The Stellafane Astronomy Club displays many antique telescopes at the museum. The museum also features the artwork of Russell Porter, the founder of the Stellafane Club in 1921, and groundbreaking work to make the Hale Observatory at Mount Palomar a success. Visitors are given a tour of the 1910 Hartness Equatorial Tracking telescope and observatory.

[Al Leone, 09/11/2007]

Nearby Offbeat Places

Petroglyphs with AntennaePetroglyphs with Antennae, Bellows Falls, VT - 12 mi.
America's Longest Covered BridgeAmerica's Longest Covered Bridge, Windsor, VT - 13 mi.
Rusty MammothRusty Mammoth, Alstead, NH - 12 mi.
In the region:
Face and Hand of AA Founder, Rutland, VT - 33 mi.

Latest Tips Across Roadside America

Catch up on the latest discoveries from the road.

Explore Thousands of Oddball Tourist Attractions!

Unique destinations in the U.S. and Canada are our special obsession. Use our attraction recommendation and maps to plan your next road trip.

My Sights

My Sights on Roadside America

Create and Save Your Own Crazy Road Trip! ...Try My Sights

Mobile Apps

Roadside America app: iPhone, iPad Roadside America app for iPhone, iPad. On-route maps, 1,000s of photos, special research targets! ...More

Roadside Presidents app: iPhone, iPad Roadside Presidents app for iPhone, iPad. POTUS landmarks, oddities. ...More

Vermont Latest Tips and Stories

Latest Visitor Tips

Sight of the Week

Sight of the Week

Easter Island Moai in America (Mar 25-31, 2024)

SotW Archive

USA and Canada Tips and Stories

More Sightings