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December 2, 2009

Common scents: Holiday house tour features 12 homes in one historic Salem neighborhood

By Amanda McGregor

SALEM — The 30th annual Christmas in Salem House Tour will be held on Saturday and Sunday, featuring 12 homes decorated for the holidays.

This year, the tour will highlight a collection of 18th- and 19th-century homes around the Salem Common neighborhood.

The variety of homes will include the grand Joseph Story House on Winter Street, which was once home to 19th-century Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story, as well as 39 Washington Square North, where the jailkeeper of the Old Salem Jail once lived.

"We believe he actually grew up in the brick house that is part of the Old Salem Jail Development," said Shelby Hypes, Christmas in Salem co-chairwoman.

The home is now three condominiums, all of which will be featured.

"I think that's going to be one of the most interesting houses," said Mary Hayes, an event co-chairwoman, "because we've never had a building before where so many units have been displayed, and they are three very different units."

New this year, in honor of Christmas in Salem's 30th anniversary, there are also 12 "legacy sites" featured along the tour that illuminate buildings and other historically significant sites.

The homes on the house tour will be decorated for the holidays by local interior and floral designers and garden groups, and one home will be decorated by the homeowner.

Tourgoers will enjoy live music in several homes.

The Christmas in Salem House Tour is a holiday tradition that draws roughly 2,500 visitors each year.

"I think it's unique because Salem's architectural history is unique," Hypes said. "I can't think of many cities that could pull 12 historic houses from different neighborhoods together year after year, especially as walking tours."

The annual house tour is sponsored by Historic Salem Inc., a civic preservation group that is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year.

"Historic Salem is one of the oldest civic preservation groups in the country," Hypes said. "The group was founded when they wanted to widen North Street and take down the Witch House, so a group of citizens got together to preserve it and move it, and that was the birth of Historic Salem."

Advance ticket holders (who must purchase tickets by 5 p.m. today) can enjoy a Friday night Candlelight Preview with a tour of four of the historic homes on the tour.

The regular house tour will run Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

House captains and tour guides will be stationed in each house, and the program book contains a write-up of each house and special things to look for, according to Hayes.

More than 30 local restaurants and businesses are participating in Christmas in Salem this year, and some will offer special discounts to tourgoers, including deals that apply through the month of December when patrons present their Christmas in Salem program books.

The tour also features free trolley service, special museum offers, concerts, history lectures and more.

The Salem Garden Club will host a decorating boutique, and the Hawthorne Hotel is serving tea on Saturday afternoon.

The legacy sites include "walk-bys," like the statue of Roger Conant and the Salem Common, as well as buildings including the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Musuem and the Old Salem Jail, in addition to buildings including the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum, which will be open to tourgoers.

"We thought 30 years is a special thing," Hayes said. "Salem has such a varied history, so these legacy sites will be marked by a banner in front of them so people can visit them and get a glimpse of Salem's history."

The other co-chairwomen of the event are Darleen Melis and Barbara Taylor.

Christmas in Salem is the primary fundraiser for Historic Salem Inc., and a significant portion of the proceeds will support the interior restoration of the Nathaniel Bowditch House, where Historic Salem is headquartered.

For more information about the house tour, visit the Christmas in Salem Web site at christmasinsalem.org.

Staff writer Amanda McGregor can be reached at amcgregor@salemnews.com.

Want to go?

What: The 30th annual Christmas in Salem House Tour, The Legacy Tour

When: Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Special candlelight tour: Friday, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., for advance ticket holders only

Who: Presented by Historic Salem Inc.

Cost: $25 in advance, $30 on tour days

Tickets: Advance tickets may be purchased by 5 p.m. today online at christmasinsalem.org or at eight retail locations, which are listed on the Christmas in Salem Web site. On Saturday and Sunday, tickets may be purchased in the chapel at St. Peter's Church, 24 St. Peter St.

Snow date: Saturday, Dec. 12, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The tour is not handicapped-accessible.

For more information about Christmas in Salem, visit christmasinsalem.org

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