Newtown Association meetings are held on the 2nd Wednesday of every month at 7 PM at
Poplar Hill Mansion and are open to all residents.
Coming Events for Your Calendar
June 2, 4-6 pm: NEWTOWN’S ANNUAL BLOCK PARTY
E. William & Gay Streets. Bring a dish to share and your chairs. Newtown Association provides burgers, hot dogs, and drinks. Fun activities for the kids, and again this year, thanks to Tish Ottey, a moon bounce!
June 3: VINTAGE BASEBALL The Easton Fair Plays vs. Lewes Vintage BaseBall Club. The teams play baseball as it was during the Civil War era at Pemberton Historical Park. Bring your lawn chair; food will be on sale. Admission is $5.00 per car, and proceeds are shared by Westside Historical Society and Pemberton Hall Foundation. Free tours of the historic house will be offered.
June 14: FLAG DAY
Fly your American flag on this day if no other – united we stand!
June 16: JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL & PARADE
Hosted by the Chipman Cultural Center, Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day is an American holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865 announcement of the abolition of slavery in the state of Texas and the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans in the states of the former Confederacy. The parade is walking only; group line-up at 10 am. Parade steps off at 11 am at N. Division & E. William St. Walk east on William and turn on Ellen St. to end at Chipman Cultural Center.
June 23, 10 am-4 pm: POPLAR HILL MANSION FESTIVAL
Celebrates more than 200 years of Salisbury history! Come celebrate the Federal Period history (ca. 1789-1823) of Salisbury’s oldest home. The FREE festival includes War of 1812 reenactors, live period music and dancing, archery demonstrations, and live sheep. See more details at http://www.poplarhillmansion.org/events
July 7, 1-3 pm: POPLAR HILL MANSION CARD PARTY SOCIAL Do you like card games? Have you ever wanted to learn how to play card games? We’ll be playing the popular games Bridge, Hearts, Gin Rummy and more, throughout the historic first floor rooms of the Mansion. Limited seating so please make your reservation by calling 410-749-1776.
REMINDER – Like Newtown on Facebook and keep up to date with our news – Newtown Historic District Salisbury Maryland 21801 and at www.newtownhistoricdistrict.org
To contribute to Newtown newsletters, email Judith Dressel, Editor, NewtownAssociation@gmail.com
News from Newtown’s Boundless Garden
Garden Coordinator Nicole Long sends thanks for Newtown’s support and says to come take a stroll and check out the garden!
Ready to Harvest Now
Curly kale and collards
Mixed lettuce greens mid-May
Bring scissors or small pruners and harvest only outer leaves
Nicole is currently supervising the Lower Shore crew in the garden every Wednesday at 1:30 weather permitting, and Newtown volunteers are always welcome to join. She is working in the garden as her full-time work schedule allows, and volunteers have offered to water during the week. Nicole monitors the garden and connects with the Newtown neighborhood children who are regulars.
She is assembling a crew to put in drip irrigation. Boundless and Camden Community Garden will share an Americorp volunteer this summer who will assist with hosting regular workdays and some social events under Nicole’s supervision.
Do You Have Plants To Contribute? The flower border feeds bees and butterflies. Please bring your extra plants to the garden so we can fill up the border.
Historic Newtown Holiday House Tour
Historic Newtown Holiday House Tour has traditionally been held every year, every other year, or every three years. Our last tour was in 2016. In order to organize and effectively publicize a tour this year, by June 12, seven homeowners must be willing to commit to have their homes decorated for the holidays by December 2. Contact Susan Rall, Newtown Association board member and Treasurer, if you are interested. Deadline June 12. Sue’s email is Srall0311@gmail.com
Newtown Neighborhood Association Has Grown
Since January, we have a new Lifetime Member, Patrice Ottey at 326 N. Division and 12 new single or family members. As a member, you add your voice to your neighbors in representing our historic neighborhood. Thanks to ALL members for your continuing support!
Downtown Salisbury Hosts Its First National Folklife Festival September 7-9
This FREE outdoor event will feature more than 350 of the nation’s finest traditional performers and crafts people, 7 stages of continuous music and dance, craft exhibits and demonstrations, a festival marketplace, family activities, and delicious regional and ethnic foods.
Historic Newtown is just steps away from all the action downtown and up to 80,000 visitors will need places to sleep. If you know of someone who wants to rent their home or a room in their home to an out-of-town festival-goer, consider a listing on Airbnb, VRBO, and HomeAway. These nationally known websites are used by people worldwide for short stays. Salisbury’s B&B ordinance and licensing regulations do not apply to these overnight rentals.
Did You Know…
Olde Towne Deli at 120 N. Division now stocks a range of market goods in addition to their daily menu for breakfast and lunch and catering party trays. The Deli is Newtown’s nearest walkable place for a quiet and quick sit-down or take-out meal and is now open Monday-Fridays 8am to 3pm and Saturdays 9am to 2pm. Stop in and see what the OT Deli has to offer!
Newtowner Jim Truitt Published 70 Years Late by Neill Carey
You get the really important news at the grocery store, where I bumped into Bette Truitt, a long-time friend and Newtown resident of Park Avenue. She told me that her late husband Jim’s story had been published recently as a screenplay. The play Rear Echelon, also available as a book, tells the story of a World War II Army band through the eyes of the musicians. Their stories are followed from before the war through the formation of the band, and the play tells how they put down their instruments and picked up rifles to fight in the Battle of the Bulge. Jim tried to publish the story after the war, but there were so many stories being written about the war that he was unsuccessful. Bette was really excited that Jim’s story was finally being told after 70 years.
Jim was an Army draftee, and he broke his foot during training. He found out about the comradery among soldiers when two of his buddies carried him on his last hike to keep him from having to recycle through training again. He was a rifleman in the 28th Division and fought in the bloody battle of Hurtgen Forest on the Belgian-German border and in the Battle of the Bulge. Jim was a musician and a singer, and he worked his interest in music into his war story.
Jim sang with another late Newtown resident, Homer White, with H. Brewington and Speed Hopkins as the Singing Chefs for the English Grill’s Sunday breakfast from 1936 until 1939 for $5 per session. Their performances were broadcast over WSAL, Salisbury’s radio station that was on the air from 1937 – 1939. Bette says he had perfect pitch. Jim played the piano and loved classical jazz, and Bette shared his love for music.
Bette loves to tell the story of how she met Jim in 1947 when she was home in Salisbury from college. She and a friend Alice walked from her parents’ home on Riverside Drive to the movies. They stopped at Watson’s Smoke House for a Coke first and said they would come back after the movie, which was at the Ulman Theater. Watson’s and the Ulman were in downtown Salisbury in the area that became the Plaza. After the movie, they went back to Watson’s, and there they met Jim. He offered them a ride home and made sure he took Alice home first. Jim and Bette began dating and were married shortly after. Alice told Bette later that she though he would have taken her home first if she lived in Timbuktu because he really had eyes for Bette. They were married just short of 60 years when Jim died in November 2007. They had two daughters, Terry and Toni, and a son Tom. Terry’s friend Jon Christopher co-authored Rear Echelon with Jim and adapted it into a screenplay.
Jim was the local representative for Colgate-Palmolive for the Eastern Shore, and some areas of the Western Shore were added to his territory later. He called on all the little stores on the area. Bette says he never met a stranger, so he was a born salesman. He retired in 1976.
Jim and Bette moved into Jim’s maternal grandparents’ home on Park Ave. in 1961. His grandfather Serman was the Superintendent of Streets for Salisbury. At the time, Park Avenue was paved with oyster shells, as were most streets in Newtown. Grandfather Serman had a side business as a farrier in Mardela Springs. Bette and Tom still live in the house on Park Avenue, and Terry and Toni, who live in California and Colorado, are frequently back home for visits.
Tom, Bette, and Toni Truitt, 2018
Jim & Toni
Newtown Association members
Attend monthly meetings at Poplar Hill Mansion, 7-8 pm, on the second Wednesday every month. Meet your neighbors and share your concerns.
Contribute to the Association with annual membership dues.
Read the newsletter and know what’s going on in the neighborhood.
Volunteer to help with neighborhood projects.
Spread the word to friends and neighbors that Newtown is a great place to live!
Neighborhood Association uses membership dues
To create and maintain our website www.newtownhistoricdistrict.org.
To host the summer block party and for maintenance of the traffic calming bump-outs on Isabella St..
To promote neighborhood events, such as the Newtown Historic House Tour.
To support neighboring, non-profits Poplar Hill Mansion, Boundless Garden, and Chipman Center.
Newtown Association Membership
Newtown Association membership runs for the calendar year. Together we can make a difference!
Please send this form with your dues check to Newtown Association, PO Box 543, Salisbury, MD 21803.
(If you have questions, send an e-mail to Sue Rall, newtowntreasurer@gmail.com)
Resident: $15 Name: _________________________________________________________________
Non-Resident: $20 Address: ________________________________________________________________
Family: $35 Address: _______________________________________________________________
Lifetime: $200 Phone ______________________________Cell: _______________________________
Enclosed: $________ E-mail: _________________________________________________________________
Thank you for your support!
Salisbury’s Historic District Commission
The City of Salisbury has measures in place to preserve the historic character of its built environment by retaining historic buildings and features while ensuring that new construction and additions are compatible with their historic surroundings. This has been accomplished by designating Downtown, Newtown, and Camden as historic districts and adopting rules and regulations for those districts that are overseen by the Salisbury Historic District Commission within the City’s Zoning Code. As a result, anyone making changes to the exterior of a property within any of the three historic districts is required to obtain a certificate of approval (COA) for the proposed work. The specific procedure for obtaining a COA is outlined in the Section 2 the Historic District Design Guidelines. The Historic District Commission reviews any application to build, alter, or destroy any structure within a historic district and acts as an advisory council to encourage the enhancement of Salisbury’s historic districts.
The Historic District Design Guidelines apply to all properties located within the boundaries of any historic district as designated by the City of Salisbury, and boundaries are indicated on maps. The work regulated by the historic preservation ordinance includes alterations to existing buildings and structures, including restoration and rehabilitation, as well as additions, new construction, and demolition. Elevations visible from any public right-of-way will be subject to these guidelines. It is important to contact the office of the Housing and Community Development Department ahead of your project planning to confirm whether your proposed work is subject to review.
See the Historic District Design Guidelines for more information.
