Wilton bicentennial kicks into high gear
Events set for this weekend
Wilton’s rich and fascinating history will come to life this weekend as the town celebrates its bicentennial with three full days of activities.
Wilton’s official 200th birthday will be marked Friday with a re-enactment of the first town meeting from 6-7:30 p.m. at Wilton Mall’s center court, followed by the premier showing of “Wilton 200,” a documentary video at Bow-Tie Cinema in the mall.
Friday also marks the launch of Wilton 200 Kids’ Quest, an event created by Boy Scout Troop 24 that encourages children to earn a patch by completing a history-oriented adventure trail from now through the end of summer.
On Saturday and Sunday (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.), residents are encouraged to explore Wilton with a self-guided Historic Site Tour, starting at Wilton Heritage Museum at the corner of Parkhurst and Mount McGregor roads, where maps directing people to various sites will be available.
“We need to remember the past,” town Historian Jeannine Woutersz said. “Perhaps people will get insight into some of our older structures.”
Tour stops include the former Gurn Springs Methodist Church, now home to Finishing Touches Home Decor & More, on Ballard Road near Exit 16; an 1830s barn at 35 Dimmick Rd.; and the former South Wilton Methodist Church on Route 50, the oldest (1854) existing church building in Wilton. It was recently sold.
People are invited to conclude their tour at Camp Saratoga on Scout Road, for samples of a new Stewart’s Shops bicentennial ice
cream called Karner blueberry.
In 2007, the town board created a five-member Historic Preservation Board that took an inventory of all buildings in Wilton that are at least a century old. The program’s goal is to protect and promote the use of historic landmarks that reflect Wilton’s cultural, social, economic, political and architectural history; and promote civic pride, while respecting property owners’ rights.
About 120 structures were identified. Owners were given the option of joining the program voluntarily, which puts restrictions on major changes to buildings, including demolition. About 60 structures were enrolled in the program, while other buildings were not. Woutersz, who plans to retire at the end of this year, is concerned that unprotected structures, which are an important part of the town’s character, might disappear from the local landscape in the face of ongoing development.
One such site, currently for sale, is the former Pepper’s Turkey Farm homestead, a large 19th century brick house on Route 9, almost directly opposite the SUNY Adirondack Wilton campus.
“There aren’t a lot of old buildings left,” Woutersz said.
The Historic Sites Tour also includes six of old cemeteries, some dating to about 1800. Louden Road Cemetery is the final resting place of several Civil War Veterans, and Revolutionary War veteran Edward Bevins, a 16-year-old drummer boy at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Volunteers are expected to be present at the Dimmick Road and Gurn Springs cemeteries, providing information about notable people buried there. Benjamin Dimmick, who served throughout the Revolution, beginning in May 1775, is buried in the Dimmick Road cemetery. He died Aug. 2, 1850, at 93.
He applied for his pension 200 years ago this month on April 6, 1818.
Historic Sites Tour booklets, available at the Heritage Museum, give a detailed description of each location.
For more information go to: wiltonbicentennial.com.