Historic Merwinsville Hotel offers Sunday tours and continues Glass Orb/Sphere Scavenger Hunt
Summer Sunday tours return at the historic Merwinsville Hotel in Gaylordsville starting Sunday, July 10 from 2 to 4 p.m.
The Merwinsville Hotel opened for business in 1843 as a meal stop for the Housatonic Railroad. Visitors will be able to step back into time, as hosts share tidbits of information about its history. Railroad buffs will be fascinated by the interior that includes a replica ticket counter and other items used during the hotel’s active railroad period
Also returning is the Glass Orb/Sphere Scavenger Hunt that the Hotel launched in 2021. There are 22 area historic sites and organizations that are participating with the Hotel. Each site is hiding numbered and dated glass orbs either inside or outside on their property. Participants can search for and keep any glass orb that they find and register it on the Merwinsville Hotel website at www.merwinsvillehotel.org. They can also upload a photo onto the website and share their find on social media. Funding for the hunt was provided by the New Milford Commission on the Arts.
“We want to thank all the sites who are taking part in our scavenger hunt”, said Jeremy Ruman, President of the Hotel. “It’s so important for all our local non-profits to continue to thrive and to grow – especially after being “on pause” due to the pandemic. We hope that by continuing this event, it will encourage more visitors to discover the many interesting locations in our area.”
The hotel’s first floor has a parlor on the north end furnished with period antiques. The southern end features the recreated station waiting room and ticket office with authentic railroad memorabilia along with a historic post office box section from the original Gaylordsville Post Office. There are several rooms on the second floor that decorated in the style of hotel rooms of the mid-1800s and a museum that features an eclectic collection of items from northwest Connecticut.
Restoration has been ongoing for over 50 years and work continues on the third floor ballroom, repairs to the north-end porch, and renovation of the basement wine cellar.
Free tours are offered this summer on each Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. through Aug. 28.
The Merwinsville Hotel is a national historic landmark located at 1 Brown’s Forge Road in Gaylordsville, CT, only 15 minutes from Kent, Sherman, New Milford and the Harlem Valley/Wingdale Railroad Station. For further information, call 860-350-4443 or visit www.merwinsvillehotel.org.
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Calendar entry: Summer Sunday tours offered at Merwinsville Hotel through Aug. 28, 2-4 p.m. Free admission. Merwinsville Hotel, 1 Brown’s Forge Rd. Gaylordsville, CT. Info: 860-350-4443, www.merwinsvillehotel.org
