Historic holiday splendor


Thursday, November 22, 2007
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Historic holiday splendor

By STEPHANIE MORVE
Holly Springs Tourism Director

Holly Springs and Marshall County are getting into the Christmas spirit this year with a double-dip of yuletide cheer: two spectacular tours, December 1-2 and December 8-9, of beautifully decorated, historical homes, complete with holiday concerts!

On December 1 and 2 bring your friends and family to attend the Holly Springs Holiday House tour, sponsored by the Marshall County Historical Museum.

The tour includes five elaborately decorated antebellum mansions as well as a newer home with an “old world” feel. Homes included are Walter Place (circa 1859), Polk Place (circa 1849), Featherston Place (circa 1837), Crump Place (circa 1836), Finley House (circa 1859) and Livingston Place (circa 2003).

Guests will also tour the magnificent botanical garden, Lynn Park, created from a 1917 landscaping plan never realized by the lands’ previous owner as a gift to the city of Holly Springs.

A Christmas cantata will be performed each day at 2 p.m. in one of Holly Springs’ historic pre-Civil War churches, complete with antique Pilcher organs.

The music begins Saturday with the University of Mississippi Parlor Ensemble and finishes the weekend on Sunday with the Marshall Academy Patriot Performers performing under the direction of Chris Mirante. Don’t forget to stay and say hi to St. Nick before he begins checking his list at the Christmas Parade Saturday, December 1, at 5 p.m. on the historic Holly Springs square.

The festivities continue December 8 and 9 with the Christmas in Marshall County tour featuring four homes, two being historic pre-Civil War cabins. Tallaloosa (circa 1847), the first beautifully restored cabin, remains on its original site while Galena Plantation, the boyhood home of decorated Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, was moved to its current home from Hernando, and has been meticulously resurrected by directions hand carved into every log and mantle. Both cabins are in the wonderful country setting of Fitch Farms-Galena Plantation, a 7,000- acre working plantation and wild game preserve featuring the best deer, quail and wild turkey hunting in the Southeast.

The next home on the tour, Cedar Oaks Plantation, was built in 2006 to resemble the original Galena Plantation home built in 1850 by Will Henry Coxe, lost through time but now alive again. The last home on the tour, Solitude, (circa 1999) is surrounded by a beautiful lake and lush woods to make the imagination go wild picturing cozy days around the fire.

Holiday cheer finally winds down December 7, 8 and 9 at 7 p.m. with a lively Christmas Dinner Theater that is sure to make the biggest Scrooge grin!

Also join us for one of our two holiday luncheons. Lunch will be served Saturday, December 1 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Kate Freeman Clark Art Gallery and on Saturday, December 8 from 11 a.m- 2 p.m at Kirkwood National Golf Club.

Tickets are $25 per tour if purchased before November 24 and $30 after. Groups of ten or more receive a group rate of $22 if purchased early and tickets for both weekends are just $44!

Additional information can be found at www.visithollysprings.org, www.mchmuseum.org, or by calling the Holly Springs Tourism Bureau at 888-687-4765 or the Marshall County Historical Museum at 662-252-3669.

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