DECATUR — The members of the Cass County Historical Society know how to throw one heckuva house party, judging by the packed lawns and confines of the venerable Newton House Sunday.

The local historical preservation organization hosted its annual Harvest Festival that afternoon, which attracted around 300 people to stop by the 1870 home — located nearby Russ Forest Park on the outskirts of Dowagiac — which was adorned with orange pumpkins and friendly scarecrows, courtesy of Sprague’s Pumpkin Patch. Visitors had a chance to tour the inside of the famous Cass County house, once home to members of the pioneering Newton family, as well as tour the surrounding Newton Woods on a tractor-drawn hayride, courtesy of Joe Van Tuyle and Mary Marko.

Members of the historical society also served baked goods, including cookies and donuts, as well as cider and apples, courtesy of Dowagiac’s Bartley Farms.

The crowd was the largest in the festival’s long history, said Sue Wilder, a member of the organization and one of the organizers of Sunday’s event. So many people came through the doors of the historic home that afternoon that members had to break out a second guest book, as the first book was quickly filled up, members said.

“This was the first time we had both parking spaces completely filled,” Wilder said. “It was fabulous, absolutely fabulous.”

Wilder said the perfect autumn weather, combined the strong response the event received on social media over the past few days, contributed to the record-breaking attendance.

Many of the guests who showed up have been coming to the Newton House for years, and shared their memories of when they came to the house as children, including their first time climbing the narrow stairwell into the house’s cupola, which provides a stunning bird’s eye view of the woodland.

Many others who stopped by were visiting the historic manor for the first time, with the Harvest Festival providing them with the perfect opportunity to do so, Wilder said.

Among these guests was Dowagiac’s Sharron Ott, who also volunteered to give tours of the home to guests, using information she was given by members of the historical society. Ott said she was instantly charmed by the Newton Home, with its old wooden flooring and décor, and would love to have an opportunity to visit again for next year’s festival.

“It’s lovely,” Ott said. “It’s nice just to spend some time inside this house.”

Some people came away so impressed with the event that they asked about joining the historical society, Wilder said.

Besides offering local families a day’s worth of free fun, the members of the society said the Harvest Festival was about connecting people with local history.

“There is so much history here in Cass County,” said Marilyn Seitz, president of the society. “This house is just a tiny sliver of it.”