Sunday, April 19, 2015

Tour of Homes In Monticello, Florida ~ Small Town USA ~ Part I

Recently the little Southern town of Monticello, Florida featured their Annual Home and Heritage Tour.   My husband and I both very much enjoy stepping back in time and visiting old Historic Homes.

Monticello is located in Jefferson County and is a short 23 miles East of our hometown Tallahassee, Florida.  This area is such a lovely part of the world ... As we drove East on Highway 90 we enjoyed the very scenic drive highlighted by wooded rolling hills,  dotted with stately Oak trees draped with old Spanish Moss.

The Monticello and Jefferson County area is known for mini-farms, horse farms, large hunting preserves, beef, dairy and crop farms.  There are also large beautiful plantations, untouched by modern encroachment,  such as the 8100-acre Avalon Plantation owned by the media and sports magnate Ted Turner.

We are welcomed as we enter the lovely little town of Monticello in Jefferson County.
Monticello was established in 1827 and was named after 
Thomas Jefferson's home Monticello, in Virginia 


The Monticello Courthouse is located right in the heart of downtown Monticello. 
The stately picturesque Courthouse was built in 1908.


Jefferson County Historical Association Headquarters is located in the c.1833 Wirick-Simmons House in downtown Monticello.  This beautiful old restored home was the first home on the tour.




This beautiful old home is a  c.1831 Greek Revival style home and was placed
on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.


This house was restored in the 1960's by a notable neoclassic architect from Albany, Georgia.

I loved this natural Azalea bouquet which was placed on an old antique table.  How pretty!


We see a lovely fireplace in the front room of the home.  
We were told all of the fireplaces were original to the home.


And, another lovely red azalea arrangement in one of the very colorful rooms of the home.


This room in the below photo reminded me of what would be similar to one of our modern day family rooms.  This room was located toward  the back of the house.


In this same room, located directly across the room from the couch, we see another very old fireplace.
We were told by our guide that these fireplaces burned coal.


This photo was taken from the upstairs balcony and shows the entrance hall.


On our way out I noticed these lovely white irises blooming in the front flower bed.


In the below photo we see the next old historical home on the tour  which is called the Dillworth-Barnhill House.  This lovely two story home was built in 1852 and sold again just after the Civil War.  

The home is privately owned and is being painstakingly restored room by room by the current owners.


As we approached the walk-way to the home this beautiful red Camellia caught my eye.  You can see touches of Spanish Moss clinging to the Camellia bush on the left.


On the right entrance to the home we see these lovely Sago Palms.  
I think of these palms as Southern plants, but actually they are native to Southern Japan.   
They survive nicely in hardiness zones 8 through 11.


And just past the Sago Palms we see the beautiful Formosa Azalea bush almost in full bloom.


As we approach the front porch we notice the pedestal planters on each side of the door are filled with Cast Iron plants.  

I think of Cast Iron plants as a Southern plant  because we see them in almost every yard here in North Florida.   They are originally native to Japan,  and they are extremely hardy, low maintenance, and some even say they thrive on neglect,  (my kind of plant).


As we walk up on the porch and look to the left we see this lovely colorful bouquet sitting on the wicker table.  

This would be such a lovely spot for early morning breakfast,  or come to think of it,  even lunch or dinner too!


I LOVE natural greenery arrangements that looks like you walked outside in the yard and took cutting from your favorite yard and garden plants.  This natural bouquet was on the table inside the foyer as we walked inside this lovely old home.

A beautiful natural greenery arrangement.


This room in the home was still set up for a family wedding 
that had taken place just the weekend before.
Such a pretty room including a fireplace.


Walking into the next room we see the dining room which also has a pretty fireplace.


Upstairs we enter into a very pretty bedroom.  
What an interesting antique bed with lovely country quilts.


Across from the antique bed we see the rest of the nicely 
decorated bedroom and another antique fireplace.


Another large and nicely decorated bedroom.


     In the next bedroom this lovely Hydrangea bouquet sitting on this wicker table caught my eye.


What a pretty color for this bedroom.
I love blue and white.


The below photo shows the upstairs hall with a screen-door leading to the upstairs outside porch.
I love the way screen doors keep the bugs out, but lets the nice fresh air inside.


And walking through the screen-door we visit the upstairs front porch.  The blue painted ceiling is very popular here in the South.  They say bugs are confused with the blue,  thinking they are looking at the sky,  and will not build their nests there.



There were several more homes on this Tour of Homes in the lovely little Southern town of Monticello.  In upcoming posts I will be showing more of these lovely homes.

Thanks for coming along with us as we step back in time to see how life was lived in the 1800s.

I hope you have had a very nice weekend and wish you many blessings wherever you may be.

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