Flagpole in Newtown, CT Newtown, CT and its flagpole go hand in hand. Located in the middle of the street at the Main Street, Church Hill Road and West Street intersection, Newtown's glorious flagpole stands proudly in the middle of the road. One question that people commonly ask: "Why does Newtown have a flagpole in the middle of the road?"
Well here is a little history on the flagpole in Newtown, CT. It was written by Dan Cruson, the Town Historian, and I located this article in The Rooster's Crow, a newsletter printed 5 times per year by the Newtown Historical Society. The information below comes from the September/October 1994 issue and is not reproduced in full.
There appears to be no public flagpole in Newtown until the first of modern sequence of poles is erected in 1876. That was the year of the nation's centennial and a number of Newtown's leading men came together to decide how best to celebrate this event in Newtown. A "liberty pole" was decided upon and donations were taken up to pay for the cost. 43 people contributed $107.50 for the "liberty pole". The complete cost of obtaining and erecting the pole was $131.65. One of the contributors made up the deficit of $24.15.
Before the placement of the modern day steel flagpole in Newtown, there was a succession of three wooden poles that stood in the intersection. The first one deteriorated as the typical New England weather took its toll on the exposed wood. Until recently, it was not known when the original pole was replaced. The recent discovery of a news item, in the April 1, 1892, issue of The Newtown Bee has reduced our ignorance. It states that, "Lawrence Mitchell has been at work on a new flagpole for The Street (the old name for Main Street) ... "
The second flagpole took quite a beating before it was replaced in 1914. By the time of Newtown's bicentennial celebration in 1905, the flagpole was leaning to one side. The Men's Club, in whose hands the bicentennial planning had been placed, arranged a set of guy wires to hold the flagpole upright. A year after Newtown's bicentennial celebration, the Newtown flagpole was struck by lightening. It was badly damaged and repaired within a short time. Within 6 years of the repair, the whole flagpole came crashing down one night. The pole snapped off about 15 feet from the base and the stump remained for two years while the Men's Club and town fathers decided what to do about is replacement.
On July 4th, 1914, the third flagpole in Newtown, CT was installed. The top mast, surmounted by a gilt ball, was then added to the main mast raising the total height of the Newtown flagpole to a dizzying 100 feet. In 1947, the old wooden flagpole was in need of maintenance. Extensive repairs were made to Newtown's flagpole that were expected to last another quarter of a century. It barely lasted for three years. By late 1949, examination of the lower portion of the top mast indicated that it was so badly rotted that three feet of the mast bottom was going to have to be cut off. Bids were taken in for this work and it was decided by the First Selectman, A. Finn Dickenson, that they were too expensive for temporary measures to repair the deteriorating flagpole. In reaction to this, plans were made to replace the ailing wooden flagpole with a more substantial one made of steel and measuring 100 feet, the same height as the pole it was replacing.
Late in January 1950, the old wooden pole was dismantled and a hole 12 feet deep and 7 feet in diameter was dug in the pavement of the intersection just north of the previous pole. Into this hole a galvanized steel cylinder 21 inches in diameter was lowered to a depth of 11 feet and concrete was poured around the steel to firmly secure it in place. Into this cylinder the new steel pole was lowered on Monday, January 23, 1950. It came in two parts that were welded together on the ground and swung into position by a gigantic crane. This pole was 16 inches in diameter at the base. The modern Newtown flagpole cost $2,900 - just 10 times as much as the pole it replaced.
This flagpole, the present one, has been in place for the past 59 years with little deterioration, even after having been hit by a car in 1979 which was traveling at an estimated 55 mph late one night. The injury sustained by the Newtown flagpole was a minor dent. The car was demolished. Such resilience is due to its weight of 2.5 tons and the fact that is buried to a depth of 11 feet below Main Street.
In the morning when you listen to the traffic on the radio, you'll hear something like "15 minute backup at the Newtown flagpole". We always find this funny - there's just something about the flagpole that makes you smile.
We hope that you'll think the flagepole in Newtown, CT is as great as we do. It is one of the things that makes Newtown, CT a special place to live.
* The flagpole photo on the above left is courtesy of David Rowe, Monroe, CT.
Bob & Richelle Ward, Realtors, ABR
Prudential Connecticut Realty
www.connecticuthomesforsale.com
Cell - (203) 470-9818
My Trip to The Cyrenius H. Booth Library in Newtown, CT So, we moved to Newtown, CT in 2000 and today, was my first true visit to the Cyrenius H. Booth Library. I drive past the library all the time and point it out to clients when we're out looking at homes. I've been wanting to get a library card so that I can stop spending loads of money on books that I only read once and then give away. It's been on my list of things to do, but it just wasn't getting done. Recently, I posted on Facebook - asking for subjects to post on this blog and someone mentioned the flagpole in Newtown, CT. That's what brought me to the Cyrenius H. Booth Library in Newtown, CT today.
From past experience when dropping my child off, I knew to pull into the rear of the Cyrenius H. Booth Library. There is parking on the Main Street, but it's fairly limited and the parking lot in the rear is rather large. What I noticed once I reach the walkway were the bricks with people's names engraved into them. I later learned that these were . These personalized bricks are incorporated into the pathways on the library grounds. These can be purchased with a $50 donation. Don't know if they are still available, but I thought they are really cool.
I walked up the steps into the library and walked past a small Conference Room where I had attended a Real Estate Leadership Training class. Prior to today, the small Conference Room was as far into the library I'd been. I walked down the hall looking for something or someone to tell me where to go. I turned left and walked through a metal detector and continued to look like a lost soul. A lady in the large room ahead of me (the Children's Department) asked me if I needed help. I responded that I did and explained why I was there (library card and research). She was very friendly (as were all the staff I encountered today) and told me that I had to go up to the first floor and that I could use the stairway or elevator. I opted for the stairs to the first floor.
The lady who assisted me on the first floor gave me an index card to fill out for my new library card. I have to wait a few days for the official card to be issued, but I was allowed to take out 4 books today, if I wanted. She pointed out a few books about Newtown, CT that are available for purchase as she thought they might be of help to me for my research (this is the Booth Boutique). Next, she directed me upstairs for my research. Again, I opted for the stairs over the elevator.
When I arrived to the next floor, I explained to the two ladies my purpose and they were very accommodating. They brought me to the section of the floor where the books were that I needed. They then brought over to my table articles that were in their file about Newtown's flagpole. Next, they gave me a wonderful binder that contained past issues of a newsletter called "The Rooster's Crow" that was issued by Newtown's Historical Society. The Rooster's Crow is a wonderful resource tool for information on Newtown's past. I paid 10 cents for each copy that I made on the copy machine and was on my way.
I forgot to mention that inside the stairwell a bulletin board was posted at each landing. On the bulletin boards were all sorts of flyers about town events (organic farmer's market in Sandy Hook), library happenings (a knitting class that is being offered starting October 20th), and other items.
I'm truly glad I went to the Cyrenius H. Booth Library in Newtown, CT today. I found the library to be an inviting place to visit and the people who work there to be very pleasant and helpful. I look forward to going back to get my official Cyrenius H. Booth Library card.
If you haven't been to the Cyrenius H. Booth Library, I suggest you stop by for a visit. It's located at 25 Main Street, Newtown - just south of the Newtown flagpole!
Bob & Richelle Ward, Realtors, ABR
Prudential Connecticut Realty
www.connecticuthomesforsale.com
Cell - (203) 470-9818
55+ Active Adult Communities in Newtown, CT: Market Update 10/3/09 Last month, we posted a general information blog about the different 55+ Active Adult communities in Newtown, CT. Several people contacted us for more information about this type of housing and we thought it a good idea to update you from time to time about what is happening with 55+ Active Adult real estate in Newtown.
We hope you find this information to be helpful. If you would like us to send you a list of available units in Newtown's 55+ Active Adult Communities, please email us or call us at (203) 470-9818.
Bob & Richelle Ward, Realtors, ABR
Prudential Connecticut Realty
www.connecticuthomesforsale.com
Cell - (203) 470-9818
Real Estate Statistics for Newtown, CT - as of 9/25/09. Because the real estate market is constantly changing, this is a just a snap shot in time for real estate statistics in Newtown, CT as of 9/25/09. All information is from the Greater Fairfield County Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for the town of Newtown as of today. Here goes:
As of this moment, there are 289 actively listed single family homes for sale in Newtown whose prices range from $38,900 for a mobile home to $1,599,000 for 7,200 square foot Colonial on 3.0 acres that was built in 2007. Houses that are not mobile homes start at $169,900. There are twenty-five (25) homes that are marked as being under deposit. Eighteen homes are marked as pending sale - which means a contract of sale has been signed. One Hundred and fifty homes have been sold in Newtown since January 1, 2009.
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The homes that have SOLD so far this month are:
| Property Address | Sold Price | Closed Date |
| 18 Fern Lane | $110,000 | 9/15/2009 |
| 7 Settlers Lane | $271,000 | 9/04/2009 |
| 6 Pastors Walk | $277,000 | 9/04/2009 |
| 11 Johnny Appleseed Drive | $320,000 | 9/14/2009 |
| 11 Currituck Road | $320,000 | 9/10/2009 |
| 45 Hucko Trail | $355,000 | 9/18/2009 |
| 18 Twist Hill Road | $395,000 | 9/14/2009 |
| 28 Washbrook Road | $465,000 | 9/04/2009 |
| 8 Galilee Way | $540,000 | 9/22/2009 |
| 9 Yogananda Street | $550,000 | 9/04/2009 |
| 39 Cobblers Mill Road | $605,000 | 9/08/2009 |
| 16 Taunton Hill Road | $590,000 | 9/16/2009 |
| 101 Hattertown Road | $652,500 | 9/15/2009 |
| 16 Mountain Laurel Lane | $625,000 | 9/08/2009 |
| 5 Winton Farm Road | $755,000 | 9/21/2009 |
| 4 Butternut Ridge | $930,000 | 9/03/2009 |
We hope that you have found these real estate statistics for Newtown, CT to be helpful in letting you know what is happening in our local market. If you have any questions, please email us!
www.16PoleBridge.com 
www.10MarlinRoad.com
Bob & Richelle Ward, Realtors, ABR
Prudential Connecticut Realty
www.connecticuthomesforsale.com
Cell - (203) 470-9818
Short Sales in Newtown, CT - as of 9/20/09. Back in September 2008, we posted a blog titled "Short Sale - What is It?". We think this is useful information as we frequently explain what a short sale is to both buyers and sellers. Our intention is to update you every 2 months about the short sale activity in Newtown, CT.
There has been a lot of activity in the Newtown, CT short sale market since our last short sale post. August and September have shown the greatest number of closed short sales since we started tracking them. As of today, the number of short sales increased by 8.7% to 25 (twenty-five) actively listed homes that are identified as being a "possible short sale" on the multiple listing service (MLS). They range in price from $169,900 to $1,160,000.
Please note that of the actively listed short sales:
Of the homes that are no longer on the list:
In our last short sale post, there were 23 homes that were identified as being a possible short sale on the multiple listing service - 17 of them have carried over to this report. The one home that has on the list from our original September 2008 post finally closed in August!
To get a list of the short sales in Newtown, CT, just send us an email and we'll forward it to you ASAP.
If you need to sell your house and feel it might be a short sale, please contact us - we can help. Anything you tell us will be held in confidence and will not be shared with anyone else.
Bob & Richelle Ward, Realtors, ABR
Prudential Connecticut Realty
www.connecticuthomesforsale.com
Cell - (203) 470-9818
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