Christmas Tour of Homes will conclude busy year for Cobblestone Museum

Provided photos: This log cabin home of Mark and Lois Chamberlain on Lime Kiln Road in Barre will be one of eight on Dec. 1 for the Christmas Tour of Homes.

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 23 November 2018 at 4:15 pm

ALBION – When the Cobblestone Museum organized its first Christmas Tour of Homes last year, more than 200 people attended, making it one of the musuem’s most popular events of the year.

On Dec. 1, the Cobblestone Museum will sponsor its second annual Christmas Tour of Homes, featuring eight distinctive properties in the Albion area, all decked out for the holiday season.

Doug Farley, director of the Cobblestone Society Museum, said this is a perfect opportunity for people to enjoy the rich heritage of the region while touring 19th century homes in a variety of architectural styles. These include Victorian, Queen Anne, East Lake Victorian, cobblestone, Greek Revival and country farmhouse.

Farley said the museum is excited about the diversity of homes on this year’s tour, including a Federal style home on farmland, a stone Italianate and a log home in Barre.

Jan Mikael Erakare’s and Maarit Vaga’s home on East Avenue, Albion, will be decorated for the holidays during the Cobblestone Museum’s Christmas Tour of Homes on Dec. 1.

“This fantastic tour will feature historic homes bedecked and bedazzled in holiday splendor,” Farley said. “Many open houses will be included and the tour will feature many different types of building construction. Visitors will also learn about Scandinavian Christmas traditions and be reminded about Albion’s important role in American Christmas history.”

Featured sites are Fair Haven Treasures on Ridge Road, the Cobblestone Museum’s Ward House, Toni Plummer and Tom Stark’s home on Ridge Road, Mary Anne Braunbach’s home on Densmore Street, the Orleans Chapter DAR house in Albion, Joe and Debbie Martillotta’s home in Albion, Jan-Mikael Erakare and Maarit Vaga’s home in Albion, the Albion First Presbyterian Church, and the home of Mark and Lois Chamberlain in Barre.

New this year will be a bus tour option, in addition to the self-driven tour. Visitors can leave their car at the Cobblestone Museum and ride in comfort on a motor coach, or choose to drive their own vehicle to each location.

The tour runs from 2 to 7 p.m. For more information about ticket prices check www.cobblestonemuseum.org or call 589-9013.

“As a child growing up I remember ‘Christmas visits’ when our family would pack into the car and drive see our friends and relatives,” Farley said. “There was always lots of food and merriment along the way.  The next few nights, we would have been the recipient of similar ‘visits’ in our homes from still more aunts and uncles. That was part of the magic of Christmas for me. Today, I think the Christmas Tour of Homes is a flashback to that era, when we get to share Christmas traditions with others in the community.”

Also on Dec. 1 is the final day of the Holiday Shoppe at the Cobblestone Museum, with special prices on remaining books and Christmas decorations. In addition, local author Sharon Cassano-Lochman will be on hand from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. to sign copies of several of her books.

The Dec. 1 programs conclude a busy year for the museum, which had about 30 events in 2018.

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