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Springfield has always been a place
to live, love and learn. Located at the junction of the Connecticut and Black
Rivers, Springfield was granted a Charter in 1761 by Governor Benning Wentworth
of New Hampshire. Early Springfield was called “Eureka”, located north of the
present downtown area. What is today known as “The Commons” became the second
settlement of the town in the 1790’s. The community was being drawn to the
falls area of the Black River, located in the center of today’s Springfield. This magnificent natural creation,
the falls, would be both friend and foe to the early settlers of this New
England town. Named “Comtu (great noise) Falls” by local Native American
tribesman, the 110 foot drop spanning an eighth of a mile, would be the main
power source of Springfield’s earliest industries. Beginning with the sawmills of 1774
to the mighty Machine Tool industry of the 20th Century, Springfield found
itself as a hub of inventiveness. It has been known as the “Cradle of
Invention” and has worldwide recognition as the “Precision Valley”. The first
machine shop began production in Springfield in 1829. The shop, now known as
Parks & Woolson, manufactured cloth finishing and shearing machines. Today,
it’s the oldest continuous running machine shop in the state of Vermont and is
still located in its original early brick building. The mid to late 19th century saw
Springfield grow and diversify. Individuals by the names of Ellis, Brown,
Hartness and Bryant all played key roles in the development of this industrious
town. Joel Ellis formed “The Vermont Novelty Works” in the 1850’s, inventing
and patenting the first jointed dolls and doll carriages. Adna Brown was the
force behind bringing Jones & Lamson Machine Tool Company to town. He also
was instrumental in bringing a gentleman by the name of James Hartness to
Springfield. Hartness would play a major role in the town’s 20th century
industrial history as a Machine Tool giant. Hartness became the Governor of
Vermont from 1921-1923 in addition to holding over 120 patents. He was also the
first licensed pilot in the state and created Vermont’s first airport, now
known as Hartness State Airport in North Springfield. Springfield’s history, or “heritage
of ingenuity”, is very much on display today. The 1904 craftsman era mansion of
Governor Hartness is now an elegant inn, the Eureka Schoolhouse (the oldest
existing one room schoolhouse in Vermont) has been restored and is open to
visitors. And, the Miller Art Center is the home of the Springfield Art &
Historical Society, who works to document Springfield’s remarkable history. STELLAFANE-- Stellafane/The
Springfield Telescope Makers, Inc. In
August of 1920 Russell W. Porter began teaching his co-workers at Jones &
Lamson Machine Tool company how to make telescope optics with their own
hands. For a few years ‘Porter’s
Telescope Makers’ as they were then called, held meetings in the homes of the
various members. On
December 7th 1923 the first meeting of the Springfield Telescope
Makers took place. In January of 1924, upon completion of the pink clubhouse,
the group decided on a name for the building which was on Porter’s land. Oscar Marshall suggested “Stellar-Fane”;
derived from Stella (star) plus the Anglo-Saxon word ‘fane’ which means shrine
or temple. The name was subsequently
contracted to “Stellafane”. On
July 3, 1926 the first Stellafane Convention was held on Breezy Hill. In 1927,
The Springfield Telescope Makers, Inc. was formed. By 1930, Porter had designed
and built the Springfield Mount, a solar telescope, a transit telescope, the
Porter Cassegrain, the Porter Garden telescope and the large Porter Turret
telescope which is still in use today.
The latter reflecting telescope was inspired by the Hartness Turret,
which was a refractor type. The
Stellafane conventions had already drawn hundreds to Breezy Hill and the ‘House
of the Stars’ by the time Porter was called to California to help to design the
massive 200 inch Hale telescope at Palomar. Throughout
the years, the Stellafane conventions have drawn thousands to Breezy Hill to
refine their instruments and exchange ideas. In May of 1989 Stellafane became a
National Historic Landmark by the powers of the US Department of the
Interior. As the birthplace of
organized amateur telescope making in this country, it continues to be visited
by the thousands every year. It is one
of three Historic Landmarks in Vermont and is still actively maintained as an
observatory and clubhouse by the Springfield Telescope Makers Inc. The
Stellafane Convention This
convention of telescope makers, amateur astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts
takes place every year, usually around August.
It is the largest known gathering of this type certainly in this country
and possibly the world, drawing well over two thousand attendees. The
convention features a telescope competition for both mechanical and optical
excellence plus talks and award ceremonies, and observing with fields full of
telescopes – many of which are homemade instruments from previous years. For
more information, consult The Stellafane Home Page: http://www.stellafane.com. |