House and garden tour next week in T.I. Park

THOUSAND ISLAND PARK — The real estate market may have crashed last year, but houses and gardens are still being celebrated in the area.

The Thousand Island Park Landmark Society will host its 13th house and garden tour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 16.

"It's kind of like you step back in time," said Landmark Society vice president Anne M. McDonald. She explained that the tour (always on the third Thursday in July) includes four Victorian-style cottages and a replica of an original Victorian tent on the main green.

Due to the Landmark Society's motto, "a place where time stood still," and the efforts of a preservation board, the houses all have an air of historicity to them.

"It's like stepping back into the late 19th century," said Ms. McDonald.

Ellen G. Detlefsen, owner of one of the four houses on the tour, can trace her family's presence in the park back to 1875.

"My family's been in the park for six generations, so it seemed like a thing that one ought to do," she said.

Ms. Detlefsen explained that her house is different because it was built in the last 20 years. She can still see her ancestral home, built in 1884, from her window, however.

"People love to see how the cottages have evolved, how people are making the cottages suit their own lives," she said. In addition to Ms. Detlefsen's home, the houses of the Phears, the Wilds and the Fitelsons will be on display.

The tour will include a lecture presented by contractors Andrew and Jeremy Greene of Greene Structures in Clayton. The lecture, titled "Use of Building Materials: How to Make New Architecture Look Old," will take place at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the park's chapel.

Money raised from the tour will be used to restore historical cottages around T.I. Park. Tour tickets cost $25 until Sunday and $30 after that. A box lunch is available for an additional $10.

For more information, call the Landmark Society at 482-5150.

OGDENSBURG/MORRISTOWN TOUR

Rain or shine, the Ogdensburg Garden Club will hold its "Gardens in Bloom" tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The eight garden tour sites will be marked with green and yellow balloons and include locations in Ogdensburg and Morristown.

"The flowers are very striking to the eye," said Gloria F. Martel, a lifetime member of the club. "It's a learning experience, actually."

David J. "Joe" McDonald and Shirley M. McDonald are among those opening their gardens to the public. They also are offering a tour of their large stone house in Morristown.

"The house is unusual because it's so old and big, and the gardens are unusual because they're big," said Mr. McDonald. "It's nice to see a house of this type and a garden of this type still exists because they've pretty much gone out of style."

Mr. McDonald said his grounds contain mostly perennial flowers similar to those in old-fashioned Victorian gardens. His wife, who is a gardener, is a former member of the Ogdensburg Garden Club.

"I certainly hope they'll take away an appreciation of the nature of the garden," said Mr. McDonald about the visitors. "It's not just a little patch, it's an eight-acre piece of property and the garden is sort of a theme throughout."

In Ogdensburg, garden locations include:

■ The Markerts, 102 Proctor Ave.

■ The Ashleys, 802 Washington St.

■ The Huttulas, 506 Washington St.

■ The Youth Garden Club gardens

■ The Eva Caten Educational Center at the Frederic Remington Art Museum

■ The Barbara Cuthbert Welch Memorial Garden, Richard E. Winter Cancer Center

■ Ben Knapps, 10 County Route 26

In Morristown, participating gardens include:

■ The McDonalds, North Umberland Street

■ The Bellies, 6 Winona Drive.

Refreshments will be served from noon till 4 p.m. at the Frederic Remington Art Museum, 311 Washington St.

All proceeds from the tour, which costs $15 for a ticket, brochure and map, will benefit the Ogdensburg Garden club's civic beautification projects.

For more information, contact Mrs. Martel at 393-4436.