3rd Annual Falls Village Holiday House Tour

The Falls Village-Canaan Historical Society is hosting the 3rd Annual Holiday Historic House Tour on Saturday, December 7 in Falls Village (snow date Sunday, December 8). Tickets can be purchased to benefit the Falls Village-Canaan Historical Society at the advance price of $25 or $30 on the day of the tour. Children ages 8 to 16 are free.

Sammuel Robbins House

The tour will begin with a brief welcome and introduction to the five houses on the tour at P.D. Walsh's Country Store (107 Main Street) at 10:30 a.m. and at 11:00 a.m. ticket holders may begin their self-guided tour.  Four of the five locations on the tour will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Houses on the tour are not wheelchair accessible and strollers are not permitted in the houses.

There will be a Musical Review by the Children’s Theater at 2 pm (tickets for that event are $12) at the Center on Main located on 103 Main Street in a former Methodist Church.  The Center will be open from 11am to 1pm on the day of the tour.

A superbly maintained single story Cape Cod style house known as “Twin Chimneys,” that was probably built by Charles Belden, Jr. in 1778  is a stop on the tour.

Another stop is the Samuel Robbins House built in 1790 that was once the main house at Robbins Farm that originally comprised more than 1000 acres. Ten direct descendants of the original Samuel Robbins have lived here including one Samuel Robbins that helped form the Robbins Burrall Trust Company that later merged to become the Salisbury Bank and Trust.

On Point of Rocks Road, leading out of the village center, is an 1840 barn at the home of Bunny Williams and John Rosselli.  Repurposed with Mr. Roselli’s keen eye, it has become a relaxing space for entertaining while keeping a rural rustic feeling. An ongoing shopping quest for accessories that fit that goal goes on to this day.

On the day of the tour the Toymaker's Cafe (7 AM-4 PM) and The Falls Village Inn will be serving guests and tour goers.  The Falls Village Inn will be donating $5 to the Historical Society per meal for tour guests (Brunch 11 AM-3 PM, Dinner 5-10 PM).  Be sure to show your tour ticket at either venue.  There will also be a bake sale benefitting the Historical Society at P.D. Walsh’s Country Store.

Tickets: $25 in advance; $30 day of tour. Children 8 to 16 are free.  Tickets may be purchased at the following locations:  P.D. Walsh's Country Store, Toymaker's Cafe, The Falls Village Inn, Jacob's Garage, D.M. Hunt Library, Falls Village Town Hall and at the Douglas Library and Stadium Systems in North Canaan or by calling the Historical Society at 860-824-8226.  Cash or checks only.

Proceeds from the tour will help the Society renovate the museum at the Falls Village Railroad Depot.

8th Annual Watertown House Tour September 28

The 8th Annual Watertown House Tour will take place on Saturday September 28 from 11a.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine. Five fabulous homes will be featured in this year's tour.

The Mailhot House at 26 Sunset Avenue was built in 1900 and was originally going to be a barn.  Today, this quaint house with its’ split rail fence and lovely front porch has beautiful woodwork throughout and is appointed with furniture made by the current owner.  Outside there is a display of classic cars.

The Guernseytown Schoolhouse at 1121 Guernseytown Road was built in 1848 and served as a school for 84 years until it was closed in 1932.  The current living room was the original classroom area.

Hotchkiss House at 237 Skilton Road built around 1800 has a modern addition. Entering the old section of the house visitors will notice wide chestnut floors, horsehair walls and low sloping ceilings.  Interesting collections from the owners’ travels are displayed though out the house.

The Silo at 25 Caruso Drive overlooks Lake Winnemaug, a man-made lake that was created as a feeder pond for the Oakville Company, also known as the Pin Shop. This house, with its distinctive silo and cobblestone driveway, was designed to look like a barn by the homeowners in collaboration with Litchfield architect Clifford Cooper in 2010.

The Wasilauskas House at 89 Maple Avenue built in 1910 has the distinction of being in the same family for nearly one hundred years. This arts and crafts style bungalow with its columned wraparound porch recently went through a major facelift, but it remains on the original footprint. Before you leave don’t miss the beautiful grounds and fieldstone barn.

The Watertown Historical Society Museum and the Nova Scotia Schoolhouse at 22 DeForest Street will also be open for viewing.

The Watertown House Tour is a benefit for the Watertown Historical Society Museum in Watertown, CT. The Watertown Historical Society is a private, nonprofit, all volunteer organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing Watertown and Oakville's history through the Museum.

Advance tickets are $25 per person, and will be $30 the day of the tour. Tickets for this self-guided house tour are non-refundable & can be purchased by mailing a check or money order to:

Watertown House Tour

22 DeForest Street

Watertown, CT 06795

Checks should be made payable to the "Watertown Historical Society". Tickets can also be purchased online with a credit card or Paypal at: www.watertownhistoricalsociety.org

Tickets and maps will be mailed to those that make advance purchases. Advance orders must be received no later than Friday September 20th. Requests for tickets after this date will be held for pick-up on the day of the tour at the Museum.

Tickets are available at the following retail locations: LaBonne's Market in Watertown, Chubba's in Watertown, the Health Complex, The Watertown Library, Hosking's Nursery, Depot Square Farm Shoppe, and Jimmy's of Watertown. On the day of the tour tickets will be available at all of the businesses, all of the houses and at the Museum, which will be tour headquarters. Call the Museum at 860-274-1050 or view www.watertownhistoricalsociety.org for more information.

Artist: Lorraine DeRoyal

For area information www.litchfieldhills.com