2019 Holiday Home Tour to feature five houses, Gobin UMC

Monday, November 18, 2019

The 37th annual Holiday Home Tour, presented by Delta Theta Tau sorority, is set for 1-5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24.

Tickets for the tour are currently on sale for $8 per person and are available at Myers’ Market, Eitel’s Florist, Almost Home, Chicago’s Pizza and from any Delt member.

Proceeds from the tour support the philanthropy program and scholarship fund of Delta Theta Tau, as well as programs in Putnam County such as the Summer Enrichment Program, Giving Tree, Food Pantry, Non-Food Pantry, Family Support Services, Phil the Need, Imagination Library and the Mary Allison Children’s Trust.

Ticket holders will have the opportunity to tour six different locations around the county, all of them featured below.

Doug and Abby Harrough home

2192 E. CR 1100 South, Cloverdale

Combining a beautiful display of the old and the new, homeowners Doug and Abby Harrough invite you to tour their contemporary farmhouse to begin your Christmas season. 

Constructed by Daniel Builders and completed in February 2019, the home is filled with treasures of the past and modern trinkets sure to be a feast for your eyes. Come enjoy the beauty of their 10-foot mahogany Georgian breakfront flanking the great room featuring 24 foot-ceilings.

No Christmas celebration is complete without a Christmas tree and they have filled the branches with ornaments from Bethlehem, Germany and Ireland. Take the chill off of the winter day by enjoying the oversized fireplace to the south of the great room a view which can be seen by the open air kitchen and extended bar complete with Amish cabinets. The pastoral view of the property from the sunroom accessed off the great room features a Lenox Nativity scene complete with village merchants, shepherds and angels.

The master bedroom displays a Victorian Gentleman’s wardrobe, circa 1837-1901 that boasts a central bank of six drawers and two flanking wardrobes. You will not want to miss the master bath featuring a wave of blue tile that displays like fine art.

Charlie and Stacey Higgins home

7999 S. CR 475 East, Cloverdale

This country style home was built in 2015, fulfilling the dreams of Charlie and Stacey Higgins. It is three bedrooms, three full baths with a full basement and sits on approximately 2.5 partially wooded acres.

The exterior boasts an expansive wrap-around covered deck, giving way to a large sitting area and additional step-down decks off the back of the home. The south side of the deck overlooks the walkout basement area with warm views of the wooded gulley and creek.

The interior is styled as a modern farmhouse. The open concept, the southern facing wall of windows and homemade tables and ccessories gives one the feeling of country cabin life. 

The home has a master bedroom with an office nook also overlooking the south gulley and deck. The master bath is created from ceramic tile and provides an open shower experience with a soaker tub for warm baths.

Traveling downstairs, find a finished basement with the main focal point being the bar area built from pallet wood with a live edge bar top and accompanying bar stools.

This home is ready for family, friends and entertaining or for those cold winter nights, staying at home and snuggling in front of the fireplace.

Mark and Debbi Christy home

83 N Co Rd 475 East, Fillmore

This property was originally homesteaded by the Stanley family in the 1800s. It was passed down for generations until purchased by the Christys.

Following their son’s devastating car wreck in 2008, a fully accessible home became necessary and that home became a reality in 2012. A few of the accessible features of the home include zero step entries, wide sidewalks, hallways and doorways and an open traffic pattern with 45-degree corners for easy wheelchair turns.

Family and tradition are deeply intertwined when it comes to Christmas. Multiple trees are present in thei Christy home. A traditional tree adorned with ornaments of memories spanning the 35 years of their marriage is in the Great Room.

In their son Drew’s room is the treasured angel tree. Each year as it is decorated it is a reminder of what God brought them through those first months after the wreck. More than 100 angels were received in the mail with messages from all over the world of prayers for Drew.

The office tree rejoices with nature with a focus on birds in celebration of their grandchildren and in memory of Debbi’s dad, who loved watching birds.

Favorite spaces include the porches where visitors can enjoy amazing sunrises and some of the best Indiana sunsets.

The Farm and Co. will be helping decorate.

Lynn Wilson home

5542 E CR 50 South, Fillmore

This one-story home was designed by Charlie Wilson and built in 1998 for Lynn’s mother, Katherine Snite. It sits on 28 acres, including a 10-acre stocked lake.

The family room, kitchen and master bedroom have views of the lake and surrounding woodlands. On the west side of the property sits a barn built by George C. Bowman in 1938. Inside it is tongue and groove solid oak construction with donkey stalls and a large hay loft.

At this home visitors will see many family heirlooms, including framed photos and furniture. Of particular interest are the restored work bench from home of George C. Bowman family and a grandfather clock belonging to Lynn’s grandparents.

The home reflects loving memories and the rich history of three generations Precious Christmas ornaments, decorations and a family tree will greet guests with welcoming cheer and warm hospitality reflective of merry and bright holidays past and present.

Lynne Ayres home

960 Deerfield Dr., Greencastle

This is a New Craftsman style with character. The house is furnished with many antiques — both furniture and décor. In the living room are two primitive cupboards and a 110-year-old wall clock originally from the Mooresville Christian Church. Some pieces were in the family and several were refinished by the owners.

The owner’s husband made the walnut bed and blanket chest by hand. Many paintings were done by him. There are collections of pewter and old quilts.

In the guest room is an antique walnut bed and dresser that was seen and wanted by Jane Fonda in a small Montana antique shop. However, it was waiting there to be delivered to this owner.

The fireplace/mantle incorporates a beam from the old barn on the Ayers farm near Waverly and two corbels from a 120-year-old building at Montana Tech in Butte

Christmas décor includes many nativity sets, some hand made. There is a folk aire or ethnic flavor in most of the vignettes scattered around the home. Large and small quilts enhance them.

Gobin Memorial UMC

307 Simpson St., Greencastle

Construction began on this unique structure in 1928, and was dedicated on Dec. 1, 1929, so it marks its 90th anniversary this year.

In 1933, the church (known at the time as “Greencastle Methodist Episcopal”) was reconsecrated in honor of Hillary A. Gobin, former DePauw president.

Since its inception, Gobin has been host to numerous lectures, including a speech given in 1960 by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from the pulpit that remains in the sanctuary today.

This year’s holiday theme will feature an old-fashioned take on the grand tradition of “hanging of the greens” and will include hand-crafted design elements inspired by light, togetherness and nostalgia. In addition to seasonal decorations marked by the Advent color of royal blue, visitors will be invited to behold a seven-panel stained glass window titled “The Nativity” located above the balcony. This original composition was created by the Henry Heck Studio of Syracuse, N.Y. The three central panels depict the birth of Jesus in a stable with Mary, Joseph, and shepherds in attendance. Resting above them are small angels, one of whom holds a scroll with the words, “Glory to God in the Highest” along with the star of Bethlehem shining on high.

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