Historical Society

To Join Statewide Open House Day

Newtown Historical Society will once again join forces with the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism in promoting CT Open House Day across the state.

Many museums and historical societies around the state will be open with free or reduced admission on Saturday, June 13, and many offer special programs as well. For more information and a full listing about the statewide activities, visit CTVisit.com or call 888-CT-VISIT.

In Newtown, the circa 1750 Matthew Curtiss House museum at 44 Main Street will be open from noon to 4 pm. Costumed docents will be on hand to offer tours of the historic house and its diverse contents.

The historical society has tried to furnish the house to represent each century of its occupation as a residence, and while some of these artifacts are simply representative of their periods, many have a direct link to Newtown.

In addition to the tours, the Society will play host to a demonstration of creating and repairing cane and rush chair seats and backs, to be offered by Richard Major of Pound Ridge, N.Y.  Admission is free.

Walking Tour

Starting at 1 pm, Town Historian Dan Cruson will lead a walking tour of the business district of Sandy Hook. Participants should meet at Washington Park at the corner of Washington Avenue and Church Hill Road.

Mr Cruson will highlight some of the important buildings of the immediate area and tell exciting stories behind them. He will point out how the disastrous fires of 1905 and 1916 remade the landscape of the district, and will offer the story of a robbery and Wild West style shootout at the intersection that has always defined the Hook.  This old-style shoot-‘em-up should not be confused with the more recent Hells Angels shootout in the same area, although Mr Cruson confides he might be persuaded to tell that saga as well.

The tour will take a little less than an hour, and will involve short walks up and down some gentle hills to see the village’s historical and essential features.

Participation in the tour is also free, and all walkers are invited back to the Curtiss House for refreshments afterward.

Contact Newtown Historical Society for further details and information, at 426-5937.

5th Annual Open House Day

More than 200 Connecticut attractions and destinations will offer special incentives to state residents during the Fifth Annual Open House Day. Residents have the opportunity to create their own in-state getaway during the event.

Connecticut Open House Day has grown from 120 participants in 2005 to more than 200 during the past several years. They include museums, galleries, historic properties, Connecticut River ferries, theaters, open artists’ studios, farms, vineyards, amusement parks, nature centers, shops, hotels, inns and B&Bs.

A sampling of this year’s Open House Day destinations offering special promotions on June 13 include free admission at the Governor’s Residence in Hartford, Lutz Children’s Museum in Manchester, Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury;

free admission for the first 100 kids who visit Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport;

$2 off regular admission between 10 am and 4:30 pm at The Barnum Museum in Bridgeport;

free admission from 11 am to 4 pm at Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden in Bethlehem, which will also be hosting the opening of an exhibit by the artist Joan Cooney; hard hat tours, rarely given to visitors, to view the interiors of the house, studio and Young Studio during the restoration at Weir Farm National Historic Site in Wilton;

and events with the International Festival of Arts & Ideas in New Haven including a film series, walking tour, zydeco concert, bike tours and more.

Connecticut Open House Day specials and hours of operation will vary by property. For more information including the full listing of events being planned across the state, call 1-888-CT-VISIT (888-288-4748) or go to CTVIsit.com for a current list of participating venues, to find special lodging and attractions packages, or to sign up to become a Connecticut Ambassador.