Stellafane Early History
1923 - 1986
The early history page covers
all of the history from the beginning of our club through the purchase
of Stellafane East in 1987. See the Modern
History page for history from 1987 through the present day.
Early Club History
Stellafane Early History
The Stellaane Clubhouse circa 1924, without work room wing,
front stone wall or concrete benches.
Stellafane Clubhouse ~1924
-
An Early
Brief History of Stellafane
This
article gives a an account of early history of Stellafane through
the 1930's.
- The Telescope Makers of
Springfield, Vermont
Read this 1923
article by Porter, which includes many historic photos.
- About the Stellafane 'Little
Man' by Bert Willard, Club Historian
Stellafane's symbol, the "Little Man" (shown
at upper left in most of the Stellafane Web pages), first appeared
during the convention on Friday, August 15, 1930. Unfortunately,
not much is known of it's creation and/or creator (most likely NOT
Russell Porter). What little we do know comes from a report written
by a conventioneer named Leo Scanlon. Read his report on the "Little
Man" below:
"Pierce had
completed the mounting of his transparencies, and brought outside
a wrought iron sign made by one of the local boys. We tried different
locations for it, and finally decided to hang it directly over the
central North Door. It was necessary to bend the lower part of the
bracket, which Pierce and I did in the vice in the shop, cutting
off the surplus piece at the bottom, which interfered with the opening
of the screen door, and securing a ladder, proceeded to nail it
up."
- Why a Pink Clubhouse?
Stellafane Early History
South side of the Clubhouse, undated, before the work room
was added on the west side. Since there are no color photographs
from this era, we know it was pink only from written accounts.
While the polar cassegrain is present, the sundial has not
been added yet.
South side of the Clubhouse, undated,
before the work room was added on the west side. Since there
are no color photographs from this era, we know it was pink
only from written accounts.
The name Stellafane, originally stellar-fane, is
Latin for "shrine to the stars" and was adopted by Russell Porter
when the clubhouse was constructed in 1923. It officially refers
to only the building but, over the years, has commonly been used
to refer to the convention. To avoid confusion, the building was
given the unofficial nick-name "The Pink-Clubhouse" for obvious
reasons.
Why a "pink" clubhouse? Two stories are told on that
subject. The first is that, due to lack of funds upon the completion
of the construction of the clubhouse, the club asked a local hardware
store owner for a donation of paint. The proprietor agreed so long
that he could choose the color which turned out to be "Stellafane
Pink" and it's been kept that color ever since. The second is that
Russell Porter requested that the clubhouse be painted "spruce-gum
pink" which is white with just a tint of pink. Upon his next arrival
on the hill he found that the member's misunderstood his request
and painted the clubhouse the hot "Stellafane pink" that we see
today. Again, thanks to tradition it's still that color today. It's
not known which, if either, story is true. Bert Willard, Springfield
Telescope Makers Historian
See also the section below: Observatories
& Major Buildings
Russell W. Porter
Russell W. Porter
1935
Russell Porter founded the Springfield
Telescope Makers. Earlier, he was navigator on several arctic expeditions.
Later, he was recruited by Hale and joined the 200-inch telescope
project at Palomar.
- Porter Article
in 1928 Vermonter Magazine
[PDF]
This article by Oscar Marshall was written
as Porter was leaving for CalTech to work on the 200-inch telescope.
- Russell Porter's Drawings
of Palomar
Porter made these amazingly
detailed 3-D drawings of the 200-inch telescope on Mt. Palomar from
2-D blueprints before the telescope was built!
-
The Arctic Sketches of Russell W. Porter
This link takes you to the
National Archives
web site and a 1997 article about the sketches, many of which are
in the National Archive collections.
Stellafane Early History
R. W. Porter's home at 2 Hill Place in Springfield, VT
R. W. Porter's home in Springfield, VT
- A Visit to Caroline Porter
Kier
This article by club historian
Bert Willard chronicles his visit with Russell Porter's daughter.
- Photo of Porter's home in Springfield
A Hand Tinted Photo of 2 Hill Place, Springfield,
Vermont (photo at right). This was the home of Russell W.
Porter between 1919, when he was hired by James Hartness to develop
the optical comparator into a marketable product, and 1929, when
he was hired by George Hale to work on the 200-inch telescope project.
Conventions
Stellafane Early History
The 1926 Convention (The First). Russell Porter & Albert Ingalls
at far right
The 1926 Convention (The First)
R. Porter
& A. Ingalls at far right
- The 1925 Gathering
Preceding the first convention, this mid-June gathering was its forerunner. We
have several photos and an article from the Springfield Reporter to document this event.
- The 1926 Stellafane
Convention
Excerpts from the report
by Albert G. Ingalls in the September 1926 Scientific American
of the first convention.
- Memoirs from the
1930 Stellafane Convention
by Leo
Scanlon, edited by Bert Willard
-
Historic Convention
Programs
A collection of material
from all previous conventions that we have available, the bulk being
convention programs from 1954 to present, but there are a few other
items from earlier conventions available also.
-
Historic Convention
Photos
Including many photos from
the Stellafane Archives, and some contributed photos, this collection
covers the years 1926 though 1999. After 1999, convention photos
can be found on the Convention
Web Pages.
Observatories & Major Buildings
Stellafane Early History
Stellafane Observatory National Historic Landmark Plaque is
on the rock base of the Porter Turret Telescope
Stellafane Observatory
National Historic
Landmark
Plaque is on the rock base of
the Porter Turret Telescope
- Stellafane
Observatory National Historic Landmark
On December 20, 1989, the approximately
3.5 acre site on the summit of Breezy Hill, including the Stellafane
Clubhouse and Porter Turret Telescope, were listed as a National
Historic Landmark.
-
Stellafane: Our Clubhouse
The Stellafane Clubhouse built in 1924, is notable in that it includes
a Polar Cassegrain Telescope, Transit Telescope, Solar Telescope
and South Wall Sundial. All of the instruments except the Transit
Telescope are still operational. It also attracts attention because
of its unique pink color. There are three rooms on the first floor:
The fireplaced meeting room, the kitchen, and a workshop (which
is now used as a kitchen extension). Upstairs, reached by a retractable
stairway, are two rooms, originally used as bunkrooms, and now used
for storage. Club meetings are still held here, except when snow
prevents access in the winter months.
- The Porter Sundial on the
Stellafane Clubhouse
This article
describes the Porter Sundial on the south wall of the Stellafane
Clubhouse, and includes some very nice photographs of the instrument
on a bright, sunny day.
- Porter Turret Telescope
Stellafane Early History
The Porter Turret Telescope and Stellafane Clubhouse, July
2003. Note person with pole saw at far left, no doubt this
picture was taken at a pre-convnetion work party, with the
grass not fully mowed yet.
The Porter Turret Telescope and Stellafane
Clubhouse, July 2003.
This unique 12-inch f/17 equatorial turret
telescope is part of the Stellafane Observatory National Historic
Landmark. Read about it's history, and see how we use it today:
- How it Works:
The Porter Turret Telescope is just a modified Newtonian, with
the diagonal before the primary. Learn how it works,
and view a photo gallery of how the optics are installed before
each use.
- Construction
Photo Gallery: These images from the Stellafane archive
show the Porter Turret Telescope being built.
- The Porter Turret Restoration, Present
Status and Future Operation: An
article by member Jim Daley describing the 1970's restoration
of the instrument. It also includes an excellent photo of Mars
taken in 2005 by Bert Willard with the Porter Turret Telescope.
- Clearing of Breezy Hill
In November 1982 loggers were hired to remove the forest that came right up to the back of the Stellafane clubhouse.
This page has before and after pictures, and as a bonus, a photo
of what was on Breezy Hill before Stellafane was built.
Museum & Hartness House
James Hartness & Russell Porter
Springfield,
VT, September 1920
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