From Hartness' home to an historic hotel
The Hartness House, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in the early 1900s by the inventor, astronomer, and politician James Hartness.
The Hartness House, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in the early 1900s by the inventor, astronomer, and politician James Hartness.
James Hartness was the owner of the original Hartness estate and the source of its many eccentricities.
Most famously, Hartness commissioned a series of underground tunnels below our cozy mansion. These tunnels were conceived of as a massive private office for Hartness' work. They now provide underground access to the equatorial turret telescope that James Hartness designed and built into the front lawn. The tunnels also house the Hartness-Porter Museum of Amateur Telescope Making - and, rumor has it, the occasional ghost.
Book your stay at the Hartness properties today to experience this unique history for yourself.
After a renovation in the early 2000s, the Hartness House reopened as a boutique inn, supporting both its local community and travelers from around the world. Soon after, our sister inn the Hartness Hotel was opened. The Hotel expands our unique hospitality experience into two newer buildings on the same 35 acres of lush Vermont countryside.
The Hartness properties now offer lodging, dining, a telescope observatory, astronomy museum, an expansive estate, and some of Vermont's most tasteful decorations.
We are honored to continue Hartness' tradition of providing a uniquely memorable stay in the loveliest part of Vermont.
