HOLIDAY HISTORIC HOUSE TOUR OF FALLS VILLAGE - DECEMBER 4

Presented by The Falls Village-Canaan Historical Society
Sunday, December 4, 11:30 AM to 4:00 PM; Snow Date, Sunday December 11


The Falls Village-Canaan Historical Society is pleased to announce The Holiday Historic House Tour of Falls Village to take place on Sunday, December 4. The tour will begin with a brief welcome and introduction to the five houses on the tour at P.D. Walsh's Country Store, 11:30 AM at 107 Main Street in the village, within walking distance of two of the houses featured on the tour. At Noon, tour pass holders may begin their self-guided tour with guidance from the Society's brochure and map, researched with the help of the homeowners and photographed by the Society. Each of these homes has a unique ambiance which reflects an earlier time in Falls Village and celebrates the spirit and endeavors of residents who came before us, as well as the creativity of present day owners in preserving this history.

Tickets: $20. Children 8 to 16 are free. Tickets are available at P.D. Walsh's Country Store, Toymaker's Cafe, The Falls Village Inn, Jacob's Garage, Crossroads Deli, D.M. Hunt Library, Falls Village Town Hall or by calling the Historical Society at 860-824-8226. Cash or checks only.
Houses on the tour are not wheelchair accessible and strollers are not permitted inside them.

The tour coincides with the village's annual tree lighting ceremony and visit from Santa Claus later in the day. After the tour, stick around, grab a hot cup of cocoa and enjoy the village's tree lighting on the town green at 4:30 PM.

For the day, tour guests are encouraged to stop for a snack or meal at Toymaker's Cafe (7 AM-4 PM) and The Falls Village Inn (Brunch 11 AM-3 PM, Dinner 5-10 PM). When guests show their tickets, a portion of the proceeds from each meal will benefit the Society. Proceeds from the tour will help replenish funds of the Falls Village-Canaan Historical Society. The Society spent $11,000 to replace the platform roof at the Falls Village Railroad Depot that collapsed under the weight of heavy snows earlier this year. Insurance would not cover this expense.

The Holiday Historic House Tour is designed to offer the community a peak into the rich cultural and architectural heritage of the village including five of the oldest homes in the area. Each home on the tour will be open from Noon until 4 PM. Protective shoe covers will be available at each home.


The house at 55 Belden Street (above), once known as the Hogoboom House, was built around 1730 by Peter Hogoboom, one of the original Dutch settlers who founded the area in 1722. The house, a post and beam center chimney colonial, was built into the hillside near a spring, which still runs today. The property is currently owned by Sergei and Zoe Fedorjaczenko.


The small and elegant Greek Revival Brewster House, at 42 Brewster Road (above) on the corner of Brewster Road and Rt 126, was built for Daniel Brewster and his wife Mary Ann Canfield, probably at the time they were married in 1842. Daniel's father, Jabez Brewster, lived in the large house across Point of Rocks Road. The property, now owned by Bunny Williams and John Rosselli, is currently used as a guest house.

The main part of the Greek Revival-style house at Grassy Hill, 18 Brewster Road, was built by miller and farmer Cornelius Brown in 1852. Also known in more recent memory as the Arvidson farm, additions and renovations have taken place over the years. The property is currently owned by Richard and Mary Lanier.


The Burrall-Belden House at 6 Barnes Road was built around 1780 by Col. Charles Burrall who led Burrall's Regiment in the Canadian campaign of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Owned by a succession of prosperous family members, the frame house in the Federal Style faces the South Canaan Meeting House and is currently owned by Susan Pinsky and Marc Rosen.

The house at 155 Johnson Road, a classic New England colonial saltbox, started out at as a small barn on the Nathan Hale property in the 1740s and was later converted as a residence for tenant farmers. Briefly owned by Doris Day early in her career, the building survived a fire in the 1990s that almost destroyed the structure. The house is currently owned by Diana Burroughs who is enthusiastically restoring and adding attractive gardens.