ABOUT SANTOSHA - History
William Upham and his wife came to Newtown
in the early 1900's. After her death, he became taken with Hawleyville,
which was a busy site for the railway with as many as 153 trains
passing through each day. At first Upham manufactured peanut butter,
but stopped during WWI because he had difficulty obtaining peanut
oils. In 1919, Upham invented the teabag and made a substantial
fortune, one that enabled him to dredge a lake behind the Hawleyville
house and turn it into an Oriental garden with beach and golf course.
He turned the house into a tearoom and a place to display his oriental
antiques. More recently, the house was owned by a family with four
children for 30 years. The present owners, the Harrison's, had the
house renovated in 2005. The contractors found love letters hidden
between the walls.
Today, the charming Hawleyville house is the home
of Santosha Center for Yoga and Health. The downstairs office space
is shared by two psychotherapists. The
yoga room was once the garage. It has a lovely fireplace and bow
window looking out at the pond. The windowed room, formerly used
as the tearoom, is now
used for meetings, workshops, and meditation. Three upstairs rooms
are used for various healing modalities.
Historic photos of Santosha Center.
Please click on image to view larger.
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