FtV - The Haunted Hartness House
17:01 Share

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Jewel Osco. Now through June 24th, score hot summer savings and earn four times the points. Look for in-store tags on items like General Mills cereal, Chobani Greek yogurt, Pillsbury Crescent rolls, cinnamon rolls, and biscuits, Haagen-Dazs ice cream, Lindor chocolate truffles, Tillamook ice cream, and Cove probiotic sodas.

Welcome, legendary listeners. Thanks for tuning in to From the Vault, a second look at some of our classic episodes. Look for a new episode every week. Now, can you go back and listen on your own at OurNewEnglandLegends.com? You bet.

But you won't get the added bonus of an After the Legends segment featuring new commentary about that episode from your old pals Jeff and Ray. So let's open up the New England Legends vault and revisit another legendary episode. Hey kids, welcome to the vault. We're so glad you're here with us in the haunted vault this week. The haunted Hartness house to be exact. First aired January 13th, 2022. Enjoy.

Wow, Jeff, this is a gorgeous mansion here in Springfield, Vermont. Yeah, that it is, Ray. It was built in 1904 by inventor, captain of industry, and one-time Vermont governor, James Hartness.

But this mansion holds many secrets. Well, he must have done pretty well for himself. This place is huge. There's a stone facade on the first floor, multiple gables on the second and third floors. The mansion's perched on a hill overlooking Springfield. I mean, it's really something to see. So in 1954, the building was converted into an inn that's served guests ever since. Well, it looks pretty empty now. Yeah, so the Hartness house shut down in 2020.

and is for sale again. Though there are no cars here, that doesn't mean this place is completely empty inside. Oh, no? Well, between the mysterious and hidden maze of tunnels, the old stately rooms, they say there's still a presence roaming around the building. The Hartness House is haunted. ♪

Hi, I'm Jeff Belanger. And I'm Ray Ogier. Welcome to episode 230 of the New England Legends podcast. This is the podcast that's as New England as a guy standing on Main Street in winter wearing shorts and a winter coat.

If you give us about 10 minutes, we'll give you something strange to talk about today. We're so glad you're with us on our mission to chronicle every legend in New England, one story at a time. We're a community of legend seekers who love to connect with our communities and with our past. Did you know that most of our story leads come from you? This one did, thanks to Tony Dunn, who's also my producer partner on the New England Legends television series on PBS and Amazon Prime.

If you know a strange tale in our region, please don't assume we've heard it. Connect with us through our website, through social media, or through our super secret Facebook group anytime. Now, before we go looking for ghosts in this Springfield, Vermont mansion, we want to take just a minute to tell you about our sponsor, Nuwadi Herbals. It's a new year, and I know I'm still trying to shed some of those holiday pounds and take better care of myself in 2022. Plus...

I'm tightening my financial belt as well. I get it, Jeff. It's so easy to hit those chain coffee shops for overpriced and over-sugared treats, especially around the holidays. So with Nuwadi Herbals, I still get my hot tea treat on those cold New England days, but I make it myself, I save money, and I save a bunch of calories. Now, I've been sipping Nuwadi Herbals See Less of Me tea this past week. It tastes great, and it helps me keep from snacking in the afternoon.

I don't know about you, Ray, but I know a lot of people who are getting sick right now. A nasty cold made its way through my house over the holidays. We all got it. But we all drank Healer Tea from Nuwadi Herbals. Though nothing cures a cold, the Healer Tea helps boost my body's natural immune system with a unique blend of all natural ingredients. And the pepper in the tea, oh, I mean, it opens up my sinuses and relieves some of that awful head cold pressure.

Let Nuwadi Herbals help support your healthy lifestyle. Check out the Nuwadi Herbals website to see all of their great products. And you legendary listeners get 20% off your order when you use the promo code LEGENDS20 at checkout. Visit nuwadiherbals.com. That's N-U-W-A-T-I, herbals with an S, dot com.

Okay, Ray, are you ready to go looking for ghosts of the Hartness house? I am. First, a quick bio on the house's namesake, James Hartness. Okay. Hartness's father was a foreman in a machine shop, which is where James first began molding his mechanical mind.

He first worked in machine shops in Connecticut before moving here to Springfield, Vermont. Hartness was awarded various patents for lathes, sundials, and even telescopes. He was an inventor, a natural problem solver, and forever curious. Hartness was also an early aviator. He flew to Germany in 1913 in a hydrogen-filled airship designed by Ferdinand von Zeppelin. No relation to Led Zeppelin. I think they were cousins, actually. Ah, okay.

Then in 1914, Hartness learned to fly a 35-horsepower Wright Flyer. He was one of the first 100 certified pilots in the United States. He even donated land to build Vermont's first aerodrome. So this guy was a real Renaissance man. He did a little bit of everything and lived life to the fullest.

Do you ever wonder how people like Hartness do it? I mean, he was kind of like the Elon Musk of his time. I assume people like that are smarter than us, Jeff. That's part of it, but they manage to run successful companies, create inventions, and enjoy spectacular hobbies. I mean, they have the same 24 hours in a day to work with that you and I do, but they seem to squeeze more out of the day. I see what you mean. In the case of James Hartness, maybe this unique mansion has something to do with his success, which is why...

They say he may still be here. So let's head back to 1921 and meet this iconic man.

It's the winter of 1921 and the Jones and Lampson Machine Company here in Springfield is celebrating. James Hartness is not only running the place, but he's inventing new machines like the flat turret lathe. The flat turret lathe is a metalworking machine that kind of spins metal around really fast so a metalworker can duplicate items made of metal with their tools. It really speeds up production in a big way. The flat turret lathe is a big innovation and a huge hit for the company.

Holding the patent on this, James Hartness negotiates a royalty on every sale. And pretty soon, this lathe is the only machine being produced by the Jones & Lansom Company because the demand is so high. James Hartness is getting rich. In the winter of 1921, there's another reason to celebrate. Hartness can now add Governor of Vermont to his already impressive resume.

He's just been elected the state's 58th governor. So he's running the state, running companies, and still inventing new things. In order to keep innovating, Hartness needs his quiet alone time so he can study and work on various problems. So... He has a small cabin built in the woods behind his house. The cabin becomes a private retreat for Hartness. He can be alone out here, he can think, and he can create.

But pretty soon, even the sounds of nature start to distract him. It's almost deafening. The cabin isn't working. So James Hartness gets back to work on his house. This time, he builds an underground tunnel, 240 feet long and 7 feet tall, that leads all the way to the telescope observatory that he built for himself back in 1910.

He also constructs an underground apartment with workshops, a library, a study, and even a lounge. This suite of rooms is quiet no matter what time of day you're down here. It's the kind of place James Hartness can concentrate with no distractions. In the isolation of his underground bunker, Hartness patents more inventions. He'll go on to have 119 patents to his name. And upstairs, he entertains the biggest celebrities of his time inside his mansion.

In 1927, after Charles Lindbergh becomes the first pilot to cross the Atlantic Ocean by plane, he tours aerodromes around the United States. And one of his stops is right here in Springfield, Vermont, by invitation, of course, of James Hartness. After giving a speech at the aerodrome, Lindbergh stayed here at the Hartness house as a guest of the owner. James dies February 2nd, 1934. He was 72 years old.

After his death, the mansion becomes the property of three of the machine shops in town who use it to entertain and house distinguished guests. After a ballroom is added in 1954, the house becomes an inn. And that brings us back to today.

Over time, the inn would continue to expand. In 1968, they added a restaurant, and then in 1971, they added a new wing behind the mansion, which brings the total number of guest rooms to 40. But strange events lead some people to believe that the old mansion may be haunted. All right, what are people experiencing inside?

It's an old building. People have all kinds of experiences throughout the guest rooms. But check out this TripAdvisor review from February of 2018. Okay. Wow. Okay, so part of it reads, we went to our room around 10 p.m. not knowing the events that would transpire. Around 1 a.m., we awoke to the antique rocking chair rocking loudly back and forth.

A few minutes later, the faucet in the bathroom sink started running. I'm not talking about a few drips. The water was pouring out. My fiance reluctantly got out of bed and turned it off. Needless to say, I was terrified and didn't sleep well the rest of the night.

I guess that would get my attention too. Yeah, me too. And that's just from one of the guest rooms. But it's the underground tunnels and rooms that seem to have the most activity. And considering this was James Hartness' most sacred and private areas, I'm sure everyone thinks the ghost must be, well, him. Exactly. This is where he came to get away from it all. And some believe he's still down there somewhere, maybe furious that his place of solitude has become a hotel bar and lounge.

People hear footsteps, they see darting shadows and objects moving around the bar area. So I guess technically there are spirits here. Oh, I get it. Jack Daniels, Jose Cuervo, Johnny Walker. Spirits. Right? The joke never gets old. No, it doesn't. So being down in the tunnels is where we connect most with James Hartness. It's easy to imagine him pacing the halls and thinking up some new invention or new innovation far away from the distractions of day-to-day life. I mean, I kind of get it. But would you rather work that way, Jeff? Yeah.

The isolation and solitude would be difficult too, but I think about when I'm working on a writing project and an email comes in. I check, I see what it is. My phone lights up with a text message and I see what meme a friend just sent me or my social media dings with an alert and I check to see if it's something I should respond to right now. I mean, that's a lot of distractions pulling away my attention. Maybe what sets the Elon Musk's and the James Hartness's of the world apart is that they recognize the need for focus and isolation.

And they use their time maybe better than the rest of us. And maybe James Hardness is still down in those tunnels somewhere, still trying to innovate and invent, even though his time has passed him by. ♪

We appreciate you spending your time with us each week. And if you don't already subscribe to us, please do. And be sure to like, share, and post a review for us as well. It helps our community grow. Someone else who helps our community grow is our Patreon patrons. Yes. For just three bucks per month, they get early access to new episodes, plus bonus episodes and content that no one else gets to hear. If you can help us in our mission, please head over to patreon.com slash newenglandlegends to sign up.

We'd like to thank our sponsor, Nuwadi Herbals, and our theme music is by John Judd. Until next time, remember, the bizarre is closer than you think. All right, we'll break it down right after a word from our sponsor.

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Jewel Osco. Now through June 24th, score hot summer savings and earn four times the points. Look for in-store tags on items like General Mills cereal, Chobani Greek yogurt, Pillsbury Crescent rolls, cinnamon rolls, and biscuits, Haagen-Dazs ice cream, Lindor chocolate truffles, Tillamook ice cream, and Cove probiotic sodas.

Then clip the offer in the app for automatic event-long savings. Shop in-store or online for easy drive-up and go-pick-up or delivery. Subject to availability. Restrictions apply. Visit Jewelosco.com for more details.

We have big news. Yes. The Hartness House. Yes. Back open for business. Oh, nice. Very good. We had said in the podcast that shut down in 2020. Just didn't make it through COVID. Couldn't survive. It is back open. You can book rooms. You can go to the restaurant. You can check out the place. So always good news when a historic and cool place like this

comes back around. So it closed 2020, COVID, right? And then when did it reopen? Do you have the date? Don't have the exact date, but recently. Recently. Recently it reopened and it's back in business. So still in good condition, I would imagine then, if it only closed in 2020. I was on their website. It looked very nice inside. I even clicked the book a room to make sure you could actually book a room. And yes, I could have had a room tomorrow night. Yeah, you chose not to. I chose not to. I was like, I just wanted to know that it was there and working. So

Yes, it can. I was thinking about this. It's eccentrics. We've talked about eccentrics, inventors, people that build unique things

structures where they live, tunnels, secret rooms, chambers. Dinosaurs out of wood. Right. So we want to know what secrets they took with them. You know what I mean? And that's the thing. It's the mystery that makes the legend. If we had the answers, it's over. Like, why did he do this? And the answer is because of A, B, C, and D. Oh. That's so fun. You're not going to tell anyone. You're not going to be like, I saw the weirdest thing.

But you know why he did it. The mystery's solved when you leave the room. Right. It's actually, you know, that's the end of it. But this guy left behind some secrets. And then we go there, and it's a building with secrets. It's a guy with secrets. He was eccentric and inventor. Governor of Rhode Island. Right.

And now it's got this haunted reputation. So that mystery, that unknown, is where ghosts live. Yeah. The ghosts in your mind, probably. Well, that's the... I would think, for the most part. They're the scariest. Right? But when there are that many secrets and you go in expecting...

You know, one thing, I guess if you know the lore, if you know the history, then it's not as scary as going in blind and thinking, there are no answers to this thing. Oh my God, I just heard a ghost. But at the same time, we've never done a story about that haunted McDonald's.

No. The closest we came was Cumbie's. Remember the haunted Cumberland Farm? The Cumbie's was on top of something that was once there. It was there forever. It was this old inn and it had been there forever. It was all torn down and the Cumbie's now stands where the inn used to be. Yeah. So...

Even that. That counts, right? It totally counts. Slushy machine going off at any given time. You're in the aisle and the slushy machine just turns on and you look over and you're like, red slushy all over the floor. Must be free though. Yeah. If an entity is pouring it for you, I would guess like, here you go. Welcome to my place. I'd like you to have this slushy.

Those hot dogs. Explain that on the way out. Hot dogs on the roller. That's a haunt all in itself. These actually were original from the building before. They're still turning. Help yourself. And the nice thing is when you eat too many of those, you become a ghost. Yeah, right. You just die on the spot and become a ghost. You will haunt that Cumbie's. They're probably all haunted now that we mentioned it. Oh, my God. But no, that's not the right- But hold on, though. I mean, it's been 2 a.m. You go to one of those stores. Tell me you're not having one of those. Oh, man.

You're just, your better judgment is you left it in the car. Yeah. I'll take that one. No, no, no, not the green one. The one that's turning green. Yeah. But it's not there yet. Yeah. Yeah. That one's a, Oh, that one. That's only 12 days old. This one was here when I started working here. You're a very elderly person. Oh my God. I was 15 when I got the job. Oh, it's ready. I grew up with these hot dogs. Uh, literally. Oh, uh, yeah. So no, these places have secrets and, and, uh, the hardness house is one of them, but, um,

But I love the layout, the design, the underground tunnels. You can go down and have a drink in the underground bar and all that other stuff. It really adds something to the mystery and the mystique. Absolutely. They should do pretty well this time around, right? Here's hoping. You know, especially old places like that where you can do a time warp, I'd see any of them go under. I want to see them make it. So I'm glad that they came back around.

How is, what's her name's house doing? I don't know. In Bedford. Bedford? New Bedford. New Bedford. No, maybe not New Bedford. You're talking about Lizzie Borden? Lizzie Borden. Where's that? That's in Fall River. Fall River, which is near New Bedford. Yeah, yeah. Well, you know, the new owners are still running it as a B&B. It's still going. Still going? Yeah, I haven't been in a long time. I might have...

Maybe since you. Really? Since we went. That was a while ago. That was years ago, yeah. That was fun. Nice personal tour. Yeah. Did our live broadcast. That was the previous owners. Yep. But yeah, that was Leanne, and Leanne passed away. Yeah. So that was the... We've always said, people who knew her, if anyone's haunting that place now...

It is Leanne. I was just going to say, that's where she stays. And we mean that with the utmost respect and affection because she loved that place. She was a sweetheart to all of us. And yeah, so hopefully one of the new spirits knocking around. She deserves it. But yeah, The Heartless House, back in business. And hopefully, that means we're going to hear about New Haunts soon. Ooh.