Paul Wesley
Court Street
Colonial houses in Newtown, PA.
by Crystal Malachi
I am a connoisseur of small towns. Rather than write about the Cayman Islands or Paris, I prefer going to small town America, spending a day visiting the shops and seeing whatever sites there are to see. I am not supposed to have favorites, but I do. I love Newtown, Pennsylvania. My love for Newtown began 35 years ago, when my parents would pile my two brothers and me into the back seat of our ’75 Chevy Impala and take us from our little twin house in Trenton for a ride in the country. We would cross the Washington Crossing Bridge and follow Rt. 532 to Newtown. On the way we would pass stone farmhouses that were originally built by the Quakers. Dad would tell us much about the history of area; about the Doan brothers and the small town of Dolington Village and, of course, Washington crossing the Delaware and turning the tide of the Revolutionary War.
So here I am again this time driving onto the bypass from Route 95. I turn into Newtown on Newtown Yardley Road, which becomes Washington Avenue. Driving into town on a sunny spring morning is always a pleasure. Stately Victorian homes line Washington Avenue while blooming trees and flower gardens keep the bees busy.
On the corner of State Street and Washington Avenue is Ned’s Cigars Store, where one can come in relax and smoke a cigar with other cigar aficionados. Across from Ned’s is the Brick Hotel and Restaurant. I’ve eaten lunch before at the Brick Hotel and it was very good. Today I want something more casual, so I am either going to go to La Stalla and have my favorite, the Portobello Panini, which is oven baked with spinach, roasted peppers and fresh mozzarella. Or I may eat something at Isaac Newton, such as their Classic Cheeseburger, where I get to choose the cheese—Swiss, of course!
Right now I need to park, so I make a left on State and go a block, turn right and park in the lot behind Starbucks. In fact I am due for a coffee and Starbucks sounds good. In fact the Newtown Starbucks has become a kind of meeting place in Newtown. It is always full of people, some meeting for business; others for pleasure. Open laptops and tablets can be seen at most of the tables. The staff is especially nice and never look harried, even though business is brisk, to say the least.
The coffee was great, but now I have to visit a few of my favorite shops. Right down the street from Starbucks in Frank DeRito Fine Men Clothier. I stop there because Frank is simply one of the best clothiers in the whole country. The staff is very helpful and nice. I really like Tracey, the store manager and Dino DiMucci the incredibly skilled tailor who makes sure that everything bought there really fits right and looks its best. The shop is loaded with spring clothes and since it is one of the few stores where I can find a really nice tie for my husband, I picked up this dark blue tie with a pattern that also brought in some tan and light blue, perfect to go with a certain suit that he bought here last spring.
Another place I like to stop is the Newtown Clock Shoppe, a veritable nightmare for Captain Hook. There are clocks of every size and shape from grandfather to little wall clocks and watches. I love the old fashioned grandfather clocks. I keep threatening to get one but there is no room in my house. I go into the Clock Shoppe just to dream, although I see a kitchen wall clock that I definitely going to get.
Down the street, heading back to Washington Avenue is The Tubby Olive. At this store I can buy a variety of fine olive oils, each a little different from the other. Also they have the most amazing collection of balsamic vinegars, barrel-aged in Modena, Italy a minimum of 12 years. I am walking out with some Arbequina Oil from Chile. It is as they say on their Website, “well-balanced, sweet and herbaceous. It has notes of green olive, creamy artichoke and green almond.”
My next stop is the Newtown Farmer’s Market. The Farmer’s Market is located the Village at Newtown, a large shopping center that has a great bookstore, a McCaffreys, a Gap, several restaurants, a bread store, and so on. There are more than a few stops I would like to make, but for today I choose the Farmer’s Market.
Once inside I am stunned by the choices I have. There are 16 vendors at the market. Amish vendors sell meats, baked goods, cheese, sandwiches, roasted chickens, pretzels and candy. There is a fish vendor, a sushi bar, a produce market and other tasty foods sold by friendly people who seem to enjoy the experience as much as I do. I decide to buy a soft pretzel covered with cinnamon and am eating only half so I won’t spoil my lunch.
Leaving La Stalla after eating a Portobello Panini and all the French Fries, I decide to visit Court Street, to look at what is left of old Newtown. Court Street got its name when Newtown was the County Seat. The court held sessions in the Half-Moon Inn, which was also known as the Court Inn. Now restored by the Newtown Historic Association, the Inn serves as their headquarters. Washington for a while maintained his headquarters in Newtown after the Battle of Trenton and Hessian prisoners were kept in the old Presbyterian Church. Newtown had its share of Tories too, and in fact, the county treasury was once stolen by the notorious Tory gang, the Doans.
Court Street has some very well kept colonial and Federal period homes, and as I walk through Newtown I realize that I am seeing three centuries of Eastern Pennsylvania architecture. Besides the very old homes on Court Street, there are big beautiful Victorians, reproduction colonials and contemporary homes that are so well blended that they seem to all have the same organic Newtown character. For example, the Victorians are tasteful, simple by the standards of the period and only mildly ornate, still reflecting some of the plain sensibilities of the Quaker town fathers. Colonial homes in Newtown are very much adapted to modern life and have additions and sunrooms, while some of the newer houses are built in the manner of the older architectural styles.
Taking the Newtown Heritage Walk is a good way to get familiar with the town’s history. Although I never took the whole tour, I have walked to many of the sites. The way the self-guided tour works is that at each site there is a wayside marker that has information on the site’s history and a map that shows you where you are in relation to the other sites. So for example, on N. State Street in front of the Newtown Theater there is a wayside marker and it shows a photo of a play that was done in the theater circa 1900 and a view of the theater in 1944. The plaque tells us that the theater dates back to 1931 and is the oldest movie theater in the United States, having its first movie shown in 1906. Of course, much more is written that that. And we learn that the theater is still in operation today; showing plays and movies and concerts are performed there.
Other sites I’ve walked to include the Old Presbyterian Church, the Old Church of Saint Andrew, The Half Moon Inn, The Newtown Library Company, the Brick Hotel, and the Newtown Fire Association. The Fire Association is my favorite because it has a museum that chronicles its past. There are old fire trucks, and in a special garage there is a hand pump from 1796, the beautifully restored Old Washy. More information about the Newtown Heritage Walk and all the site write-ups can be found at the Website for the Newtown Historical Association: http://www.new townhistoric.org/heritagewalk.html.
There are other places I like to go when I stop by Newtown. There are several wonderful boutiques, a candy maker, several ice cream stores, the famous old fashioned hardware store on State Street and a frame shop called Framegame, which not only has a huge inventory of framing material but also sells some very interesting gifts, and the owners, Karen Stark and Alan Markowitz are very friendly and helpful. They have another store in Yardley.
Shopping for me isn’t just buying; it is wishing too. I make big wishes when I go to Holland Floor Covering. This fine shop has in its showroom to be seen lots of carpets, hardwood floors, tiles and everything one could think of to cover a floor. I am especially enamored with the plank hardwood floors and some of the tile patterns for kitchens. Another wish list store is David Craig Diamonds & Fine Jewelry. Well that is like a candy store for wishing. Diamonds in exquisite settings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, watches. I love going there. I stop in on every trip, sometimes I bring something home but most of the time I wish.
As my Newtown day ends I leave Newtown the same way I arrived, down Washington Avenue and onto the bypass, back to Route 95 heading to New Jersey. My visit is over.
Crystal Malachi is a freelance writer from Mercer County, New Jersey.