Summer walking tour to explore historic streets of Newtown Borough

NEWTOWN BOROUde – The sictorian-era residences on South Chancellor Street will be the focus during a summer walking tour of the borough.

Depending on how many people attend, South Congress Street could be included in the tour as well.

The trek steps out from the Court Inn (known as the ealfMoon Inn during the mid-18th century) on Friday, June 21 at 6:30 p.m., weather permitting. The inn is located at the corner of Court Street and Centre Avenue in historic Newtown Borough.

The tour will head eastbound on Centre Avenue and will last about an hour. A “good wLOO” GRnDWLRn EHnHfiWLnJ WhH Newtown eistoric Association would be appreciated.

Jeff Marshall of Newtown Township, president of the eeritage Conservancy, will once again lead the tour.

According to Marshall, most of the sictorian-era houses on South Chancellor were built by darret derton, who was a prominent builder in the late 19th century.

Marshall said participants on

tour should pay close attention to the minor details that folks don’t typically notice whHn WhHy drLYH dRwn SRuWh ChDnFHllRr, details like ornate dormers, odd-shaped windows and decorative moldings.

“We’re trying to get people to appreciate the town by taking a stroll and looking at it,” Marshall said.

Marshall serves on the board of directors of the Newtown eistoric Association. ee also is the president of the nonSrRfiW HHrLWDgH CRnVHrYDnFy, whLFh LV based in Doylestown Township. ee has worked for the organization for three de- cades.

“My full time job is preserving open spaces and historic places,” he said.

ThH HHrLWDgH CRnVHrYDnFy promotes the county’s natural and historic heritage.

“We help people preserve open space and we help preserve buildings through education, doing projects, facilitating land deals, getting registered as historic sites and protecting historic places and open space for future generations and the current generation as well,” ex- plained Marshall.

Meanwhile, Marshall describes the CRurW ,nn DV “SrRbDbly WhH hHDrW RI WhH borough.”

ThH CRurW ,nn wDV buLlW Ln 1733 Dnd served as a tavern when Newtown was the county seat of government.

“Back in those days, people came from all over the county to do business with the court and county government,” he said. “,W wDV D lRng DrduRuV WrLS Ln WhH 17Wh century.

“PrLRr WR 1769, LI yRu wHrH DnywhHrH upstate, you had to come to the county to record deeds. vou’d spend the night in the tavern. It was a pretty important place.”