Stellafane | Vt

That concrete clubhouse, complete with a rotating turret that looks like a medieval fortress, still stands today. It is the spiritual heart of the amateur astronomy world. Today, the Stellafane Convention (held each August) is the oldest continuously running star party in the world. But don’t expect the sterile, silent atmosphere of a professional observatory.

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Porter taught local machinists and clockmakers how to grind glass in their basements. The group, calling themselves the "Springfield Telescope Makers," needed a clubhouse. They chose a hilltop with a 360-degree view and built a small, quirky observatory out of concrete and scrounged materials. They dubbed the site "Stellafane." stellafane vt

So, he did what any tinkerer would do: He built his own. That concrete clubhouse, complete with a rotating turret