Something Old is New Again
Russell 
W
Porter (left), founder of the
Springfield Telescope Makers and an instructor at MIT, designed a garden
telescope in the 1920s. One of his bronze ornamental pieces is in the
Smithsonian Museum, and Porter’s innovative designs contributed to the telescope
at the 200-inch Palomar Mountain Observatory. Years later, a fellow Vermonter
became fascinated with the 
sculptural piece, and his son has set about
reproducing the telescope from original plans, a borrowed example of one of the
few versions in existence, and has upgraded the optics with some new
technology.
The new bronze telescope (directionals) may not be
for everyone; it is
an expensive item, but for those few who love garden art, and may also care to
gaze at the stars, sailboats on the lake, mountains in the distance, or
discover who in the neighborhood has a new car. Find out more from Vermont
Telescopes at www.gardentelescopes.com.
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