Five homes, a church and a former railroad depot will be featured when the Greenfield Historical Society hosts its 13th annual Christmas Tour of Homes on Sunday, Dec. 3.
The tour runs from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. and will be preceded by a chicken and noodles dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the historical society’s Grain and Hay Building. The cost of the meal is $10 and the menu includes chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes, green beans, slaw, rolls and butter, drinks and a choice of cakes.
Tickets for the tour are $10 and are available at Community Savings Bank in Greenfield from now through noon on Saturday, Dec. 2. Tickets will also be available the day of the tour at the Grain and Hay Building and the tour homes.
The featured church is the Good Shepherd United Brethren Church located at 12920 SR 28. The original church was started in 1909 with a revival meeting held in a tent on the lawn at the home of Charles Cox on North Fourth Street in Greenfield. The congregation was formally organized by elder James Burton in 1910 with 30 members. The new congregation purchased the Baptist mission at the corner of Seventh Street and Dickey Avenue. The church was named The First United Brethren Church of Greenfield. The first pastor was the Rev. Orange Lovett.
In 1992, the church purchased 22 acres west of Greenfield. A beautiful, new church facility was built under the leadership of the Rev. Marion Burkett. The new facility was dedicated on June 26, 1994 and was renamed The Good Shepherd Church of the United Brethren in Christ. In 2004, an addition was added which doubled the size of the facility. The new addition has five Sunday School rooms, a large fellowship hall, a kitchen and restrooms. The present minister is Scott Graham.
The first house featured on the tour will be at 233 S. Second St., the home of Jeff and Carrie Payton. It was purchased by the Payton family in 2015. This home is one of the three stone houses built by the Miller family, who were bankers in the Greenfield community during the late 1800s and the early 1900s. Construction on this house started in 1898 and was finished in 1900, making it more than 100 years old. The house has many unique features including the exterior stone that came from the local Rucker’s Quarry, and four bay windows on the front and two on the side of the home. The exterior shape resembles an old English castle. Many renovations have been completed during the two years the family has been living in the home. The Paytons plan to bring the house back to its original Victorian style.
The dining room table in the home is from Carrie’s side of the family and has been used by five generations. Their favorite part of the house is the entrance to the home with a beautiful staircase and natural woodwork. The couple likes to sit in the space and look out onto Second Street.
“With both having grown up in the Greenfield area, they have admired the home for many years and were excited when they purchased their dream home. Christmas decorations will be throughout the home in many different rooms,” historical society member Harold Schmidt said in a news release.
The second house on the tour is the home of Don and Sharyn Salzano at 624 Franklin Drive. The home was built for them in 1989 in a Tudor style. They have lived in the home for 28 years. In 2008, the Salzanos had a sun room added to the back of the home. Sharyn likes to sit and listen to the fountains in the backyard. In 2015, the kitchen was remodeled and it is Don’s favorite part of the home.
Throughout the home are many treasures from Don and Sharyn’s extensive travels around the world. In the office many of Don’s miniature military figurines are displayed. There are also many family pieces of furniture which are special to them. The house will have Christmas decorations throughout including a large Santa collection.
The home of Vicki and the late Rick Unger at 14035 Titus Road is the third home. The farmhouse was constructed in the Craftsman style about 1934. It was built following a 1933 fire involving the John W. Duncan family on the same site near an abundant spring that attracted the first settlers and provides all the water for the farm today. In 1973, the Ungers purchased the farm and named it Springwater Farm. Vicki has lived here for 44 years.
The most recent remodeling in 2014-15 saw the under-house garage repaired and opened up the kitchen/bath/office area. The kitchen features modern white cabinets, dark wood floors and contrasting black granite and white quartz countertops. The angled island features easy sitting and storage. The newly remodeled kitchen is wheelchair accessible and leads into the bath/laundry or through the French doors onto the deck.
Vickie used traditional and eclectic decorating to create areas for family gatherings. She loves her new kitchen, but also spends a lot of time in her sewing room. Christmas items will be displayed throughout the home.
Mike and Linda Penn will welcome visitors to their home at 11525 SR 138 that was built in 2001. They had a ranch home on the land first, but with a growing family of in-laws and grandkids, they outgrew it. The new home has more open space within the living room, dining room and kitchen/hearth room. Linda likes the upstairs loft which the grandkids often use to escape the adults.
“The style is one of comfort, purpose and antiques since Linda’s dad had an antique shop for many years,” Schmidt said. “The home will have lots of Christmas decorations with the main theme of Santa. Linda has over 100 Santas she has collected and usually has two or three new ones each year. There will be a 10-foot tree in the living room, which is decorated by the kids and grandkids with ornaments from their travels. The grandkids love to hear the stories of the trips while they trim the tree. Lots of greenery and many more Christmas trees will be found throughout the home.
The final home belongs to Steve and Kay Bennett at 11290 SR 138. It is the oldest home on the tour this year, having been built in 1859. The Bennetts say that it was the first home in Highland County to have electricity. They have only been in the home a little over a year. They visited more than 100 homes in Chillicothe looking for a home, but fell in love with this one at first sight during its open house.
This home has been on the Christmas Tour of Homes with two other owners, but the Bennetts have added a new bedroom and bath to the ground floor with a stone exterior that they completed themselves. Kay enjoys the living room and the large bedroom upstairs, which she uses as her sewing room. There will be Christmas decorations throughout the home both downstairs and upstairs.
The B & O Railroad Depot will also be open for visitors. The depot displays were reorganized in 2016 with the addition of Tom Adams’ model railroad display. He has made scale models of some of the Greenfield buildings and homes during the 1920s, along with the railroad tracks and depots. In October he made new additions that he would like to share.
“All five families are excited about the tour this year and hope many visitors come through to see all their hard work and Christmas decorations. The historical society truly appreciates all their time and effort,” Schmidt said. “The tour helps the society carry on its work to preserve history in Greenfield. Also, if you need gifts for Christmas, we have many ideas available, including our book on McClain High School available at the Grain and Hay Building.”
Information for this story was provided by Harold Schmidt, a Greenfield Historical Society member.
