15th ANNUAL HOUSE AND GARDEN TOUR

Saturday, July 17th – 11 am to 5 pm

Come and explore picturesque Newtown in the Newtown Historical Society’s 15th Annual House and Garden Tour on Saturday July 17, 2010 from 11 am to 5 pm.

The tour this year features eight properties that reflect Newtown’s diverse history. Three wonderful homes from the 1700s will include our Matthew Curtiss House Museum with costumed docents, and the 1748 home of Matthew’s uncle Benjamin Curtiss, filled with period antiques and surrounded by stunning gardens, as well as a 1798 Federal farmhouse with outbuildings and wonderful grounds.

A secluded 1830 farmhouse with pool and gardens contrasts with another unusual Nineteenth Century farm property that was remodeled and expanded in the 1950s by an architect reputed to be the student of Frank Lloyd Wright.

A 1973 contemporary home with a very special hidden garden and a 1995 traditionally designed home with marvelous organic gardens present a contrast of visions from the Twentieth Century.

On Main Street, a lovely historic barn surrounded by its own remarkable gardens will serve as a gallery for the work of Newtown artists.

The self-guided tour will take place rain or shine. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 on the day of the tour. Checks may be sent to Newtown Historical Society House Tour, P. O. Box 189, Newtown, CT 06470. Please include name, address and telephone number. Tickets are limited to prevent overcrowding and may be purchased at the circulation desk of the Cyrenius H. Booth Library during normal library hours. Tickets will also be available at Drug Center Pharmacy, 61 Church Hill Road and The UPS Store, 261 South Main Street. On the day of the tour any remaining tickets will be sold only at the Matthew Curtiss House, 44 Main Street after 10 am. Information is available at www.newtownhistory.org or (203) 426-5937.

Proceeds from the tour benefit the Newtown Historical Society and are used to maintain the Matthew Curtiss House Museum and to support the educational programs of the society.