TOURS OF HISTORIC HOMES 



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O krishmases Cy asi 



In the 1 8th century, Christmas was 

 a time of socials and merriment among 

 landowners in coastal North Carolina. 

 The doors of homes were thrown open 

 to welcome revelers, and the air filled 

 with laughter as people shunned work 

 for pleasure. 



Christmas then was a season not 

 only of religious observance, but also of 

 celebrations oriented around food and 

 dancing, a season of joy often sealed 

 with marriage vows, says Linda Jordan 

 Eure, manager of Historic Edenton, a 

 state historic site. 



"We think today of June brides, 

 but in the 18th century, a lot of people 

 married in that holiday season follow- 

 ing Christmas because it was a time 

 when people were more socially 

 oriented," she says. 



Both George Washington and 

 Thomas Jefferson were married around 

 the Christmas season, a time when 

 plantation owners and farmers finally 

 could relax and the first frost had 

 hardened the ground enough for travel, 

 says Mary Ann Coffey, a columnist for 

 the Chowan Herald and an Edenton 

 tour guide. 



"The crops had been brought in, the 

 work in the fields was over and people 

 were facing winter," she says. "They 

 did use this as an occasion to visit, 

 entertain. It was a celebration over 

 several weeks rather than focusing on 

 Christmas Day. And it was a socializing 

 sort of holiday, rather than an exchang- 

 ing of presents." 



Today, from Edenton to Beaufort to 

 Wilmington, the tradition of Southern 

 hospitality continues at Christmas. And 

 those who want to get a glimpse or taste 

 of Christmases past need only step into 

 the historic homes of coastal towns, 

 where traditions that washed ashore 



By Odile Fredericks 



many centuries ago live on. 



"When you walk in these old 

 houses and you think of the people 

 who have continued to make a home 

 here and all the generations that have 

 used these houses, that time kind of 

 just disappears," Coffey says. 



In Edenton, the Wessington villa 

 on West King Street is home to Anne 

 Rowe and her mother, Dorothy Gra- 

 ham. Their ancestors have lived in the 



has enjoyed hosting the tours over the 

 years. 



"I open my house a lot and have for 

 a number of years," she says. "It's a big 

 house, and I feel very strongly that it 

 should be shared. And I've met a lot of 

 interesting people because I have opened 

 it that I wouldn't have otherwise, and 

 that's made it very special." 



Wessington is just one of the private 

 homes and historic sites in Edenton open 



two-story Italianate house since 1886; 

 the house dates to 1 850. 



As a child, Rowe remembers that 

 parties, two and three a week, began the 

 first of December in the town. She has 

 fond memories of biscuits rising on her 

 grandmother's woodstove in prepara- 

 tion for family feasts. She recalls her 

 father telling her of the Christmas tree 

 adorned with little white candles and 

 homemade decorations his mother 

 placed in the front parlor. 



"They wouldn't allow it to be seen 

 till Christmas Eve, then it would be lit 

 and that would begin the Christmas 

 festivities," says Rowe, adding that she 



to the public during the Christmas 

 Candlelight tour Dec. 12-13. All feature 

 period decorations — branches of pine, 

 magnolia or other greenery found 

 nearby — and some offer refreshments 

 based on centuries-old recipes. 



Following are other houses open 

 during the season: 



• Cupola House, South Broad 

 Street. The 2 1/2-story frame house, 

 built in 1758 by land agent Francis 

 Corbin, features a massive cupola and 

 lavishly carved decoration. Visitors to 

 the open house can savor a cup of 

 wassail, an English drink dating from 

 the 1700s. "Wassail" is believed to 



16 HOLIDAY 1997 



