story by kathryn schiliro
photos by jesse walker and dianne yost

Annual holiday tour of homes ticket sales at about 2,300

Madison's annual Holiday Tour of Homes, held last Friday and Saturday and sponsored by the Morgan County Historical Society, brought in between 2,200 and 2,300 visitors to the city, based on ticket sales.

According to Tour of Homes Chair Sarah Burbach, the event raised approximately $59,000. These funds will go toward the maintenance of Heritage Hall, owned by the Historial Society.
More than 100 docents, all local volunteers, guided tourists through the 13 houses on tour, including Heritage Hall; Hill Top, home of Mrs. Roy Lambert; The Dycus House, home of Cindy Dycus; an Ice House condo, home of Sue Benefield; the Barnett-Stokes House, home of Braden and Rob Marett; the Oscar P. Whitley Farmhouse, home of Charles and Rae Merritt; the Richter Cottage; Rogers House and Rose Cottage, also owned by the Historial Society as well as the City of Madison; Magnolia House, home of Ed and Louise Hannah; The Schultz House, home of Janet and Patrick Schultz; The Jones House, home of Rob and Trish Jones; La Flora, home of Jack and Nancy Miles; and The Argo House, home of Jim and Anelle Argo.

“We are thrilled at the number of people who traveled to our community this weekend to tour our homes.  Several tour-goers came from out-of-state and said this event always started off their holiday season.  We had tour buses from all around Georgia and even some ladies who had planned their ‘Girls Only Weekend’ to tour and shop in Morgan County.  Our homeowners and volunteers provided every one with a special holiday tour to remember,” Burbach said, via e-mail.
The Holiday Tour of Homes consisted of two daily tours, a Day Tour and Evening Candlelight Tour, with different houses on each tour.
In 2011, the Holiday Tour of Homes, sponsored by the Madison-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce, brought in closer to 2,900 visitors, but lasted four days instead of this year's two-day tour.

Printed in the December 6, 2012 edition