Thursday, December 20, 2012

Christmas Tour of Homes in Macon, Georgia - Part 1

The President of Intown Macon, said it so well in the booklet supplied with the map of all the homes on the Macon, Georgia Christmas Candlelight Tour of Homes......He said, "We hope you will experience the warmth and spirit that comes from being in a home lovingly cared for by different families over successive generations."  In Town is the neighborhood association for the residents in the Macon Historic District.

Yes, all of these homes have had many owners down through the generations.  Just walking inside any one of these homes,  you can feel the whisperings of the past all around you.


The first house on the tour is a Classical Revival house built back in 1905.  The house had many owners through the years.




The current owners have chosen traditional decorations, and a huge Christmas tree filled with ornaments collected by their family, and hand-made lovingly by their children.








 Living Room



 Dining Room

 Kitchen



I thought this was such a simple and good idea.  In preparation for the candlelight portion of the tour later as evening approached,  there were Mason jars with candles inside,  ready to light......What a simple, easy and good idea!


The next home is a Queen Anne house built on a solid granite foundation back in 1875.  The original owner was a Macon railroad official.
 



One of the many Nativity scenes on display in the home.




The walls are decorated with art by local artists.




The piano in the below photo was used by a Macon native and singer Otis Redding, who was very popular in the mid 60's


The next home on the Christmas Tour of Homes was what they call "The Crisco House."  This house is a Beaux Arts designed home, built in 1901.  The original owner of this home was the inventor of Crisco Oil, and of course he made a fortune.  He went on to be an executive in the very successful Proctor and Gamble Company.






As you walk in the front door this is the staircase you see from the foyer.


This elaborate staircase was fabricated in Chicago and shipped by rail to Macon in three pieces.

How about that beautiful fireplace at mid-level, along with two huge windows, and then you can continue on up the rest of the stairway on either side.


 Off to the left of the entrance hall is this sitting room or living room.


The house interior includes oak paneling, pocket doors and wooden curved walls.

 Off to the right of the entrance hall is the dining room.  You can see the wooden curved wall to the right in this photo below.


Family room.

 Below is a later photo of The Crisco House during the candlelight portion of the tour.


The next home on tour is called the Wiley - Lawton, Miller, Gerhardt House.  Those are the names of all the previous owners of the home.  This home was built in 1850 and had many design changes.  It is now referred to as a Queen Anne style house.

















This next home is a Victorian style home built in 1880.  This home has had multiple owners and has been passed down from generation to generation. 




Each fireplace in the home has cast iron mantels.




Our tour booklet told us that a part of this home is featured in the upcoming movie "42," the story of Jackie Robinson that was recently filmed in Macon.


The current owners have furnished their home with family heirlooms and artwork as well as antiques acquired through the years.






In the below photo this beautiful Christmas tree in the formal parlor is decorated with hand-painted ceramic ornaments made by a family member,  plus handmade items from the owner's childhood.


This was quite a long tour,  so I am going to separate into Part 1 and then Part 2.   Come on along with us later for part two,  if you would like to see the rest of the tour.

Hope you are having a wonderful Christmas week with, as a friend of mine would say,  "Merry Happy Days" wherever you may be.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for the tour Pat. Wish I could have been there with you - but this is second best to that. Love, Betti

    ReplyDelete