Maumee home tour celebrates history, aids seniors
10/8/2009People swear they've seen the ghost of a little girl in a blue dress at the old Commercial Building at 301 River Rd. in Maumee.
Whether she'll be there Saturday no one knows, but a celebration of local history will go on with or without her.
The Commercial Building — built in 1836, the oldest business structure in Lucas County — will be part of the 13th annual Maumee Historic Home Tour. Scheduled from noon to 5 p.m., the tour also will feature six historic houses and the Wolcott House, 1031 River, plus a free dessert at the Maumee Senior Center, 2430 South Detroit Ave., which organizes the event.
Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 the day of the tour.
“It is the major fund-raiser for the Maumee Senior Center,” said Janet Russ Jones, chairman and founder of the home tour.
Proceeds are used to help cover operating expenses at the center, she said, but the event is aimed at more than just making ends meet.
“One of our goals, our missions outside of the fact that it's a fund-raiser, is to showcase the preservation of these old homes ... and promote the heritage of Maumee rather than tearing these homes down,” Russ Jones said.
Visitors will learn how much life is left in dwellings that go back 100 years or more. Much of the restoration has been done by current and previous owners, Russ Jones said. “The amount of work they put into them is just remarkable.”
All of the tour homes are open for the first time this year, she said. They are:
•Dussel-Pratt Home, 122 River. Built in 1915, this Colonial Revival style was found in many small midwestern towns in the early 20th century.
•Pilliod-Braun Home, 312 River. Called an “upright and wing” dwelling, the house was built in 1850.
•Ottwell-Bissell-Foster Home, 320 River. A blend of old and new, the main section of the original 1887 house is essentially intact, while an addition increases living space and a screen porch at the rear provides a view of the Maumee River.
•Shephurst-Williams Home, 504 River. Sometimes called a “Princess Anne” style because it's a modest Queen Anne adaptation, circa 1901, the house has turrets, towers, gables, and fanciful trim.
•Steinman-Yoder Home, 408 Jackson St. Built in 1850, this Greek Revival home is thought to have been moved from another site.
•Broer-King Home, 527 East William St. Interior woodwork has been restored in this brick home built in 1927. It has many of the features of English Cottage architecture that was popular in the early 1900s.
A free shuttle will run a tour loop, although all the homes are within walking distance. Parking is available on neighborhood streets.
The 13th annual Maumee Historic Home Tour takes place from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 the day of the event from The Andersons in Maumee, CJ's Closet, Dibling's Floor Covering, Jacky's Depot, Maumee Chamber of Commerce (closed Saturday), and the Maumee Senior Center. Information: Maumee Chamber of Commerce, 419-893-5805, or Maumee Senior Center, 419-891-1994.
Contact Ann Weber at: aweber@theblade.comor 419-724-6126.