Newtown Historical Society

05/25/2026

The C.H. Booth Library is celebrating the United States of America's Bisesquicentennial! Join them for this immersive and historical experience from presenter, John Adams (played by George Baker)! John Adams talks about his life and times in a humorous and inspiring performance and discusses, among many incidents in Adams' life, the Boston Massacre Trial of 1770 where Adams defended 14 British soldiers charged with murder for firing into a mob of 500 Bostonians, killing six of them. This case was the first time in a Colonial court where the judge instructed the jury that you cannot convict unless you are convinced of the defendant's guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt.” Please register to reserve your spot—don't miss out on this unique program! To register, visit our calendar (https://chboothlibrary.libcal.com/event/14246476) or scan the QR code.

05/17/2026

Mark Albertson giving his presentation on George Washington today.

05/09/2026

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: Kristen Fowler joined the Docent Team in April 2024 as a Junior Docent. She has also supported History Camp, events at the Little Red School House, and administrative work with archived Rooster’s Crows at the library. She even recruited her friend Sophie as a Junior Docent.

Kristen was born in Iowa and moved to Newtown in 2019 when her dad accepted a job in Connecticut. Her family includes her Dad, Andrew, who installs and maintains NMR instruments (similar to MRIs); her Mom, Karen, an active volunteer with Boy Scout Troop 770 and the High School Marching Band; and her brother, Patrick, a freshman at Newtown High. Both parents are originally from New Jersey and met at Yale, so returning to the East Coast brought them closer to extended family.

Kristen has grown fond of Newtown but looks forward to returning to Iowa this fall to attend Grinnell College, a small liberal arts school between Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. In Iowa she enjoyed swimming and Tae Kwon Do, but soon after moving, Covid limited activities. Once in high school, she was able to join the theater stage crew. Kristen has enjoyed learning set building skills and becoming confident with tools as her previous experience of “helping” her Dad with small projects was mostly just watching. She also loves writing - especially fantasy - and hopes to write a novel someday. She plans to major in history and may pursue a teaching certificate, though she’s still exploring options.

Beyond the society, Kristen volunteers at the C.H. Booth Library’s Annual Book Sale. When asked why she volunteers, she said, “My mom encourages us to volunteer and I love history. I want to share with others and contribute to the community, so I became a docent.” Her favorite activity is History Camp: “The kids are actually interested in the town’s history and want to learn. They are so sweet and adorable.”

04/25/2026

Join us today at the C.H. Booth Volunteer Fair from 1pm - 4 pm. Information on Volunteering, Membership and Summer Camp!

04/17/2026

Rochambeau, commander of French forces in the American Revolution, helped shape the outcome of the War through alliance, diplomacy, and coordinated military action with George Washington. His story highlights the international effort behind America’s fight for independence – and reminds us that the road to 1776 did not end at America’s shores

04/12/2026

EZRA AROUND TOWN: WOW! Look at this! It is hard to believe that almost 250 years ago hundreds of French soldiers marched down this trail. Back in 1781, it was larger than a path through the woods – it was more of a dirt road connecting Castle Hill Road to Mount Pleasant Road. What were those French soldiers doing up there on the hill? Well, here is the story:

During the American Revolution, King Louis XVI of France decided to help the Americans in their fight for liberty, so he sent a large army led by General Rochambeau to join George Washington’s army. The French army had to march from the Port of Newport Rhode Island across Connecticut to Dobbs Ferry on the Hudson River where they joined the Continental Army. Along the way they camped in Newtown for several days arriving on June 26, 1781.

Most of the army camped on Church Hill Road, but Rochambeau sent a group of the regiment’s elite companies, the chasseurs and the grenadiers, to a camp on top of the hill on present day Castle Hill Road. From here they could view any enemies approaching from the south.

A few days later, at about two o’clock in the morning of July 1st, the men stationed on Castle Hill broke camp and took this trail to merge with the other French troops who were leaving from the center of town. From here they marched to the Hudson River where they joined the American troops on July 6th.

For the next six weeks, the American and French armies planned and prepared for the march to Yorktown. On August 18th, about 2,650 American and 4,650 French troops left the Hudson Valley, arriving in Virginia on September 28th to begin the Siege of Yorktown. On October 19, 1781 the English General Cornwallis surrendered, essentially ending the Revolution and establishing American independence – thanks to some of those French soldiers who camped out in Newtown.

Lynn Friedman & Jim O’Brien will be at the Newtown Senior Center (8 Simpson St) @2:00pm on Sun Apr 19th to speak about General Rochambeau. Please join us.

04/11/2026

04/05/2026

After walking the Rochambeau Trail yesterday, Ezra stopped at the Matthew Curtis House to admire the spring flowers. What a beautiful spring day it was.

Watch for Ezra's full post on the Rochambeau Trail coming in a couple weeks, and if you'd like more, Lynn Friedman and Jim O'Brien will be presenting "Rochambeau and the Alliance That Won the Revolution" on April 19th, 2:00pm at the Senior Center.

03/28/2026

Musician Billy Michael will be performing at the March Open House. Billy captivates his audience with storytelling as he seamlessly blends music and history. Don't miss this chance to participate in singing along to songs from the 1700s and Revolutionary War!

03/21/2026

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: Deborah (Deb) Altieri joined the society as a Docent in March 2024 after attending a volunteer recruiting event. She has also helped with several fundraising events and has teamed up with Jane Brady to revamp our publication display at the Matthew Curtis House.

A Connecticut girl, Deb was raised in Bridgeport, worked as a Paralegal in Westport and Stratford, and then headed to Newtown to raise her family. While her children were young, she worked at Gingerbread Nursery School in Monroe, which she loved. Once they were older, her Stratford employer asked her to come back, so she returned to her paralegal career before retiring 5 years ago. Deb and her husband, Louis, have called Newtown home now for 42 years.

Deb did not come from a history loving family, and while she was always interested in history, it wasn’t until Louis gave her a retirement gift of an Ancestry membership, that she fell in love with Genealogy and History. Especially once she started to find connections to her ancestors all around the area. Locally, Deb can trace her tree back to Reverend Adam Blakeman, one of the founders of Stratford, as well as Job Sherman, who owned the land the Matthew Curtis House was eventually built on. Job Sherman’s home was on High Rock Road, where he owned a large parcel of land. Coincidentally, Deb and Louis bought and built their own home on a portion of this land 300 years later. It would be another 37 years before she discovered this family connection.

Besides genealogy, Deb spends her time gardening, cooking, and entertaining. She loves to throw dinner parties. Sometimes hosting formal sit down holiday dinners for as many as 27 family members. She also maintains an organic vegetable and flower garden.

When asked why she volunteers with the society, Deb said it allows her to have a relationship with her ancestors, and her favorite thing is sharing the house’s history with our visitors.

D.C. Altieri

03/14/2026

Jordan Freeman was an African American servant who witnessed pivotal moments of the Revolutionary Was while accompanying Col. William Ledyard. In this costumed, first-person presentation grounded in archival research, the lecture explores the experiences of Black men who lived, labored, and sought freedom during the fight for independence – raising enduring questions about liberty in a nation still defining it.