Falls Village film showcases downtown history

FALLS VILLAGE — Eric Veden’s 36th installment of his Falls Village video series includes an October 2024 Housatonic Heritage walk through downtown Falls Village led by Judy Jacobs and Bill Beebe.

In the video, participants gather at the Depot, home of the Falls Village–Canaan Historical Society. As the group sets out along Railroad Street, Jacobs notes that the Depot was constructed between 1842 and 1844 to serve the newly established railroad.

Jacobs pauses by one house, explaining that it was originally built by the railroad, has a murder in its history, and is said to be haunted — supposedly.

The footage follows the group along Prospect and Miner streets as they admire the architecture and discuss the stories behind the houses. The tour spent some time examining the largest cottonwood tree in Connecticut, on Beebe Hill Road. The tree with its massive base has been significantly pruned in the upper reaches.

The film captures the group pausing to view, from a distance, an 18th-century home once known for its Revolutionary-era dances — a house that still bears a couple of bullet holes in its old windows.

Viewers then see the group mosey down Beebe Hill to Main Street, with Jacobs and Beebe providing interesting tidbits about the buildings, such as:

100 Main St., now devoted to fine home furnishings, was automotive legend John Fitch’s shop.

The video also includes the former Toymakers Café site, which was once a hardware store. Jacobs recounts hearing stories of a spur line from the railroad running to the property for deliveries, with the cars likely pulled by horses.