Historical Society Announces Plans

For 9th Historic Homes Tour

Newtown Historical Society will welcome the public for its Ninth Annual Historic House and Garden Tour later this month.

The annual tour of vintage properties on Saturday, July 12, will run from 11 am to 5 pm. This year’s tour will feature eight historic properties including the house that is purportedly the oldest in Newtown –– a 1705 cider mill converted into a residence –– and several privately owned “secret gardens” along Main Street.

The tour is a self-guided event. Tickets are $20 each and are available at C.H. Booth Library, 25 Main Street. Tickets can also be ordered by mail by sending a check payable to Newtown Historical Society to PO Box 189, Newtown CT 06470. Mail orders should include a note with purchaser’s name, address, and phone contact number. Orders received after July 4 will be confirmed with a phone call, and tickets can be picked up the morning of the house tour.

Tickets, as always, are available on a first-come, first-served availability. Many past tours have sold out. If tickets are available the day of the tour, they will be available for purchase at Matthew Curtiss House between 10 am and noon.

All proceeds from the house and garden tour are used toward preservation and ongoing maintenance of the Curtiss House, which serves as headquarters for Newtown Historical Society, a nonprofit organization. Proceeds are also used for the society’s educational programs.

Sallie Meffer and Jo-Ann Scebold are the co-chairs of this year’s tour. The ladies say they feel blessed to have such outstanding properties yet again on this year’s tour.

The homes range from the late 1600s to 1840. In addition to the aforementioned cider mill, which is a circa 1706 construction that also features one of its original apple trees on the grounds, one house has a center chimney with five working fireplaces of its own; most homes have old fireplaces, and several have beehive ovens with original doors; and there are original window panes, post and beam construction, wide plank floors, wooden counter tops, original woodwork and cabinetry to be discovered. One property also features an outhouse.

Many of the homes enjoy the shade of mature plantings. There are majestic maple trees on several properties, as well as an herb garden at another.

Also this year, master gardener Brid Craddock will be welcoming visitors to the back garden of Matthew Curtiss House. Mrs Craddock will explain her recent plantings of historic perennials and offer hints on how to start historic gardens.

Help Wanted

Each of the homes and gardens on the tour will be staffed by people who will have been versed in the history of each property. Additional volunteers will be checking tickets as people arrive at each location on the self-guided tour.

Coordinating the volunteers this year is Debbie Osborne, who can be contacted at 426-6962. Mrs Osborne is looking for volunteers of all ages, including Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts or other young adults who can earn community service hours for their efforts. The younger volunteers will be posted as ticket takers, while adult volunteers will be available to answer questions or point out property highlights.

Volunteers will also be working in shifts, so people can sign on to work for just a few hours of the day if they prefer.

For additional information on these volunteer opportunities contact Mrs Osborne or leave a message on the answering machine at the Matthew Curtiss House, 426-5937.