December 12th, 2015 from 4 to 8 p.m. Historic Palmyra will offer its 3rd Annual Homestead Candlelight House Tour. Your tour begins at the Wm. Phelps General Store and Home Museum for your maps and tickets. Featured will be six houses, 2 museums, and a special wine tasting at Frank's Wine and Liquor from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. All of this for the price of $20 per person presale and $25 at the door. The houses date from 1826 through 1901 and cover a vast historic period in the Village of Palmyra. From the early days of the Erie Canal, business bustled creating a need for tanners, coopers, general stores, carriage shops, and blacksmiths. Brick buildings for both business and homes were the typical construction. The buildings on this house tour are primarily brick. The styles of the homes are federal, salt box, and Victorian. Beginning with the basic structure, these houses were added to with kitchens, bedrooms, and porches.
The Hudak and Hays homesteads are two of our new additions to the tour. Both of these homes are 1830 era. The Hudak home is much larger and is at the bottom of one of the hills while the Hays home was a small one room home with a loft. As time progressed, so did these homes as they were enlarged to serve the families that lived in them.
Some of our first year's homes have returned like the Tome, Hall, and Woodlock homesteads, once again opening their doors to visitors. In these larger homes of all brick construction a front and back stairway were used. Last but certainly not least is our Henning Homestead which you may recognize as the pirate ship on Halloween at the corner of Washington and W. Main Street decorated with whimsy and enthusiasm. Enjoy the sparkling holiday décor at the unique, original William Phelps General Store and at the end of your tour enjoy the fine chili, cookies, and cocoa as well as other delectable treats. A magnificent handmade quilted ornament has been made especially for you as our gift. We are giving one per ticket. A special discount coupon will be given to be used for shopping in our gift shop at the Alling Coverlet that evening only. There are so many amazing things in this one event that you won't want to miss it. Thanks to our amazing home owners!! Come share the joy!! Call (315) 597-6981 to reserve your tickets or come to the Palmyra Historical Museum at 132 Market St. Palmyra, NY 14522 11-4 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday.
