Preserve New Fairfield grateful recipient of Savings Bank of Danbury Foundation Grant.
Preserve New Fairfield accepted a grant for $3,000 from Savings Bank of Danbury on March 9, 2018, at the Ridgewood Country Club. Featured in the picture is Patty McCartney, Co-President of Preserve New Fairfield, Sue Newton, Treasurer of Preserve New Fairfield and Jo Kopke, AVP/Branch manager New Fairfield Savings Bank of Danbury.
Preserve New Fairfield Thanks Greg Miller
This past November, Preserve New Fairfield thanked Greg Miller with a certificate of appreciation.
Greg's fine drawings in both pen and ink made him an obvious choice to ask to do a drawing of the Hubbell House. Greg's beautiful design of the Hubbell House has become our logo. Greg has also drawn the Parsonage and the Town Hall. His drawings for us have been cast in pewter, printed on notecards and enlarged for our beautiful sign in front of the Senior Center.
Greg's contributions to Preserve New Fairfield go back to the creation of the Historic Properties Commission that allowed our town to become a certified local government and then to get the states first endangered structures grant to help move our houses. Greg helped lay the groundwork for Preserve New Fairfield to exist. Thank you Greg!
Photo Caption: Greg Miller receiving Certificate of Appreciation from PNF Treasurer Sue Newton
Preserve New Fairfield Thanks Bill McCann
Preserve New Fairfield Thanks Bill McCann
At their October monthly meeting, the Board of Preserve New Fairfield awarded local resident Bill McCann a Certificate of Appreciation for all the work he has done on behalf of PNF over the last eleven years. Bill has printed graphics for museum displays, note cards, and PR material, and most notably designed and printed PNF's beautiful montage of historic houses. He understands the value of historic preservation, and has supported the organization in so many ways.
His work at the NF Land Trust, now part of Candlewood Valley Regional Land Trust, is aligned with PNF's mission of preserving our historic and natural environment for future generations. His efforts in all endeavors are much appreciated. Thank you Bill!
Photo caption: Bill McCann receiving Certificate of Appreciation from PNF Treasurer Sue Newton
Preserve New Fairfield Thanks Attorney Ray Lubus.
At their August meeting, Preserve New Fairfield awarded local attorney Ray Lubus a Certificate of Appreciation for all the work he has done to keep the organization moving forward. Thank you Attorney Lubus! From left to right: Co-President Patricia McCartney, Attorney Lubus, and Co-President Diane Giardina.
Preserve New Fairfield grateful recipient of Savings Bank of Danbury Foundation Grant
Preserve New Fairfield accpeted a grant for $3,000 from Savings Bank of Danbury on March 9 at the Ridgewood Country Club. Featured in the picture is Diane Giardina, Co-President of Preserve New Fairfield, Sue Newton, Treasurer of Preserve New Fairfield and Jo Kopke, AVP/Branch manager New Fairfield Savings Bank of Danbury.
Danbury News Times Article Preserve New Fairfield celebrates 10 years By Katrina Courting April 2016
NEW FAIRFIELD — Nestled in the trees behind the senior center on Route 37, two white frame houses offer visitors a glimpse of life was like centuries ago.
They now serve as a testament to the town’s past, but a decade ago they were slated for demolition — until a group of residents joined forces to save them.
Preserve New Fairfield was created in 2006 with the goal to preserve the homes, one dating to the 1700s and the other to 1840. Not only has the group achieved that goal, but it also opened one of the homes as a museum in 2014 and raised $400,000 to restore the buildings. The group recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and these accomplishments at its annual Strawberry Festival.
“Everything has felt like a a big accomplishment — getting the houses moved, getting access to them and opening them to the public,” Preserve New Fairfield President Faline Schneiderman said.
The two homes have long sat side by side in the center of town. The Hubbell House, which now houses the museum, was built in the mid-to-late 1700s. It belonged to the Hubbells, one of the first families to settle the town and begin farming.
The other building, known as the parsonage, was built in 1840. It housed the clergy for a local church for a number of years but later was home to several families in succession, said Linda Decker, who has been with the preservation group since its creation.
The preservation effort began about a decade ago, when the two properties were put up for sale. The new owner, who wanted only the land, offered the houses to the historical society free if the group could arrange to move them, Decker said.
“This was all new to us,” Decker said. “It was, ‘How do you move a house?’ and then ‘How do you move two houses?’”
The society decided the task was too big for it and turned to the community.
“Those of us who love historic homes and feel they they are part of our uniqueness, felt they shouldn’t end up in a landfill,” Schneiderman said.
Preserve New Fairfield, with the help of John Hodge, who was first selectman at the time, successfully campaigned to add the two homes to the state Register of Historic Places. It then applied for and won the state’s first endangered structures grant, using the $50,000 to move the homes 1/10 a mile down the road to their current location. That was in March 2007.
“The whole side of the road was lined with townspeople, freezing but with cameras watching the homes go by,” Decker said. “It was quite a day.”
Preserve New Fairfield checked off another goal this year when the homes and their history were incorporated into the third-grade curriculum and became the destination for annual field trips.
While the group is dedicated to preserving the town’s past, it’s already looking to its future. The group hopes to build a barn to house tools and an antique cart. It also hopes to renovate the parsonage and open it as an educational space with rotating exhibits.
This would allow the group to offer more programs to broaden the public’s understanding and appreciation of the town’s history, Schneiderman said.
“I would like them to understand that New Fairfield is an important place,” she said. “We have a very deep and wonderful history that people drive by and they don’t even notice. My goal is to help people understand that history doesn’t happen somewhere else. It happens in your own backyard.”
She also hopes to show others that there are options for older homes other than demolition.
Schneiderman credits the residents for the group’s success.
“This organization is very much a grassroots effort,” she said. “We really appreciate the community.”
Decker said she’s happy to be a resource for the town.
“When people come in and just enjoy it, especially when the children come in to see how different life was back then, that’s so important to me,” Decker said.
Preserve New Fairfield receives grant from Savings Bank of Danbury - February 15, 2016
The Board of Trustees of Preserve New Fairfield Inc. are grateful to receive a grant from the Savings Bank of Danbury at the bank’s annual awards breakfast in January.
As Preserve New Fairfield celebrates its 10th anniversary, this is one of many generous grants made to the group by SBD over the years. PNF is honored to be recognized by SBD as an important cultural asset in our community.
Preserve New Fairfield grateful recipient of Savings Bank of Danbury Foundation Grant - March 30, 2015
The Board of Trustees of Preserve New Fairfield Inc. is pleased to announce that it has received a generous grant from the Savings Bank of Danbury Foundation. The grant will allow PNF to pursue the construction of a storage barn on the site of its museum complex featuring the Parsonage and the Hubbell House, located at 33 Rt. 37 in New Fairfield. For more information, please visit www.preservenewfairfield.org.
From left: Jo Kopke, AVP/Branch manager New Fairfield Savings Bank of Danbury and PNF Trustee; Phil Cammarano, Corporator, Savings Bank of Danbury; Sue Newton, PNF Trustee and Treasurer; Kathy Romagnano, President and CEO Savings Bank of Danbury; Faline Schneiderman, PNF Trustee and President.
New Fairfield receives prestigious award From CT Trust for Historic Preservation (Press Release) April 15, 2015
Preserve New Fairfield Inc. was among those honored by the CT Trust for Historic Preservation at its 2015 Preservation Awards ceremony in Hartford on April 8. The Trust preservation awards provide recognition for outstanding efforts and leadership in preserving historic places throughout Connecticut.
“We are so excited and gratified by this recognition,” says PNF co-founder Susan Monshaw. “Our work has been a labor of love and we are pleased to see things coming together so well.”
PNF President Faline Schneiderman, Trustee Jerry Belizna and founding member Andy Monshaw joined honorees and members of the CT Trust for Historic Preservation at the Polish Home, a gorgeous old building in the heart of the state capital. Other award winners include a historic gate Yale University, the carriage house at Lauralton Hall School and the Greenwich Post office.
“The Trust is impressed by the work of Preserve New Fairfield and honored to be able to recognize it,” says CT Trust Deputy Director Christopher Wigren.
“The two aspects of the award to PNF that captured our attention were the endangerment of the two houses and the breadth of community effort,” Mr. Wigren continued. “PNF did a great job of building a real grassroots effort that has expanded beyond these two buildings to other community benefits like the books published and the establishment of an ongoing organization.”
Preserve New Fairfield Inc. was founded in 2006 when two of the few historic homes left in town were threatened with demolition. With the help of the first Endangered Structures grant, town wide support, strong political will and lots of volunteer hours, the group moved the homes intact to their current location just behind the Senior Center at 33 Rt. 37 in New Fairfield. A major project goal was reached last August when the Hubbell House was opened as the only local history museum featuring a permanent display dedicated to the story of Candlewood Lake. To see video of the historic house move, please visit www.preservenewfairfield.org.
“This is a tremendous honor to be recognized by the Connecticut Trust for the accomplishments of PNF,” President Faline Schneiderman says. “Truly, this was a grassroots effort. While there were times when it seemed like our goal of preserving the two historic houses and opening a museum were far off, the many hands that made this project a reality kept it moving forward. We could not have gotten this far without such extensive community support. ”
The CT Trust for Historic Preservation is a nonprofit statewide membership organization established by special act of the Connecticut General Assembly. Working with local preservation groups and individuals as well as statewide organizations, the Trust encourages, advocates, and facilitates historic preservation throughout Connecticut.
Hubbell House Exhibit “Made in New Fairfield” Now Open August 2014
WE DID IT! We successfully opened New Fairfield’s first local history museum, highlighting the story of Candlewood Lake and the lives and industries that made this corner of Connecticut uniquely ours. But we could not have done it without your generosity and support!
In August, Preserve New Fairfield celebrated the grand opening of the Hubbell House museum featuring the “Made in New Fairfield” exhibit. This event was the culmination of eight years’ work – saving two historic homes from demolition, moving them intact, restoring one at a time, establishing a meaningful artifact collection, undertaking research and developing our first display. Hundreds of your neighbors have helped us reach our past goals by attending our special events such as our House and Garden Tour, Strawberry Festival, October Cemetery Tour and also by making annual donations.
Before the calendar turns to 2015, I would like to ask you to consider a year end gift to Preserve New Fairfield Inc. Your donation will help us to realize our all-important goals for 2015:
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Development of multi-generational educational programs
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Purchasing a motorized vehicle for visitor accessibility
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Erecting an appropriately scaled outbuilding to keep our vehicle safe
Programs and community events are in the works for next year and we need your help to keep the momentum going. Your money works hard, right in your own community. All you have to do is make that initial donation! A donation matched by your employer is an even more wonderful way to expand your generosity. Preserve New Fairfield Inc. is a 501(c)(3) designated non- profit charity, recognized by IBM, Praxair, and other prominent companies in our area. Please check with your benefits provider to find a gift match form. Your generosity has double the value and double the impact assisting PNF in its historic preservation and education efforts.
Click here for a link to our donation page.
Warmest regards,
Faline Schneiderman, president