Date: Fri 08-Mar-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

real-estate-Holcombe-elevation

Full Text:

Where Is The Top Of Newtown?

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

Lofted high above the rest of Newtown lies a piece of land with a breathtaking

view of the countryside. At 830 feet above sea level, the Holcombe property

off Great Hill Road is the town's highest point.

Set high on a hill with a driveway winding its way to the top through spacious

pastures, there's almost a majestic feel to Newtown's summit, part of the

estate owned by the late William Wilson Holcombe and his wife, Josephine H.

Holcombe, who still resides there.

From the hilltop, an observer can see New Milford and the Litchfield Hills to

the North, and to the east, Newtown's landscape with Southbury and Oxford

Airport off in the distance. At one time, Holcombe Hill featured a glimpse of

Long Island Sound to the south, but an overgrowth of trees in the past 50

years has obstructed the view.

According to Doug Rogers, the Holcombe's financial adviser and a 40-year

Newtown resident, the wind blows a little harder on the top of the hill and

the snow tends to stay just a bit longer than the land below.

"It's really quite a view from up here," said Mr Rogers, pointing to a

landmark off in the distance. "No doubt about it, this is the highest point in

Newtown."

Conservation Commission Officer Dave Thompson, using a topographical map at

Town Hall South, confirmed that the Holcombe property is indeed Newtown's

peak. In fact, the hilltop is one of the highest points in Fairfield County.

Though it juts up from sea level less than a fifth of a mile, it appears to be

much higher. Distant objects and hills appear much lower than they really are,

and airplanes, though thousands of feet in the air, often look as if they are

heading straight for the house.

Mrs Holcombe has been startled on several occasions after looking out her

window to see planes on a collision course with her front porch.

"It appears that most of the airplanes that fly over here are coming in the

front window. Mrs Holcombe has been noticing that for years," Mr Rogers

explained.

The Holcombes moved to the property in 1940, taking over the land once known

as Fairchild Farm.

William Holcombe was Newtown's first selectman during the 1940s and served the

community in many ways before his death in 1983.

There are two houses atop the mountain today, but there used to be a much

larger home on the property. In fact, during the 1960s, the Holcombes offered

the building to the town of Newtown, which subsequently turned the offer down,

feeling the cost would too greatly impact local taxes. Mr Holcombe eventually

had the house torn down.

Over the years, the Holcombes have made great contributions to the town in all

kinds of ways, according to Mr Rogers. Much of it was land. In the late 1960s,

the family contributed 14 acres of land to the forest association and in 1987,

donated 62 acres more. Most of the land is off Great Hill and Birch Hill

roads.

The Holcombe property is still maintained by longtime resident Andy Sedor, who

mows the hills twice a year with his Rube Goldberg-like mowing machine.

Now that Newtown's highest point has been established, the only question

remaining has to be what the town's lowest point is. According to Mr Thompson,

that would be the water surface of Lake Zoar at 101 feet above sea level.

Newtown's famous flagpole soars 100 feet above Main Street. To put it into

perspective, Lake Zoar is more than seven of Newtown's Main Street flag poles

below Holcombe Hill.

In comparison, Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, is 29,028 feet above

sea level, while the earth's lowest point is the Dead Sea at 1,302 feet below

sea level.

The Empire State Building is 1,250 feet above the streets of New York City.

Did you ever wonder what the elevation was at the top of Castle Hill Road near

(Old Castle Drive)? Its 700 feet above sea level. The nearby Gretsch property

is 740 feet above sea level.

Taunton Lake is 540 feet above sea level, while Lake Lillinonah is at an

elevation of 198 feet. The Ram Pasture is 444 feet.

The elevation of Main Street in front of Trinity Church is 562 feet, meaning

the top of the flagpole stands 662 feet above sea level.