Not Homer's Springfield...

We’ve chosen the Hartness House Inn, a restored 1904 country mansion in Springfield, VT, for our wedding reception. We will be married on September 27^th, 2009.

Springfield, Vermont may be known best for two things: The Simpson’s Movie world premiere, and that the town was #7 on Hitler’s list of “Cities to Bomb” due to the contribution of the Precision Valley to the Allied efforts during WWII.

We had several criteria as we searched for reception sites:

1) A meaningful location in Vermont, preferably in the Upper Valley Vermont area.
2) Affordable vegetarian-friendly cuisine
3) Quirky aesthetic, whimsical decor

The Hartness House is located less than a mile from Christopher's childhood home. (check!)

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Hartness House is the 35 acre estate of former Vermont governor and inventor James Hartness. Converted to a Bed and Breakfast, the Hartness House also is the site of the first Equatorial Turret (Tracking) Telescope. Gov. Hartness was an amateur astronomer, and constructed an elaborate astronomy observatory on his property.

From the Hartness House website (italics are my own):

“This country inn is unique in that it features its own museum, astronomy observatory and antique telescope with a unique equatorial drive system. More unusual is the secret tunnel system built by Hartness to access the observatory, museum and his secret workshop.

Guests of the Hartness House Inn have an opportunity to tour the secret tunnel, view the private workshop of Mr. Hartness, and see the observatory and telescope.”

How neat is that? There are over 400 feet of underground tunnel, including a secondary secret exit onto Common Street.

An underground tunnel AND a ballroom! (check!)

We’re planning an intimate reception to be held in the Governor’s Ballroom. The room features quirky Art Nouveau chandeliers, warm wood tones, and many bright windows. We’re anticipating oodles of merriment, dancing, and (mostly) vegetarian cuisine.

We sampled their tasty, tasty food during our overnight stay. They had numerous vegetarian offerings, and their garlic gnocchi were scrumptious! Christopher even called them "tasty," and he is SO picky.

Our Cocktail Hour will be held in the Parlor. The room is handsomely appointed with Victorian furniture, and photos from the glory days of the “Precision Valley” evoke an historic atmosphere. An enormous bay window frames the space.

Have you been planning a "hometown" wedding? How close to home was your perfect wedding site?