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SALEM -- The Salem Federation of Women's Clubs is sponsoring a tour of seven historic Salem sites, according to a press release.
The tour will be held 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 2, and 1 to 5 p.m. Dec. 3. Tickets for the tour are $20 each and can be purchased by cash or check during the tour at the Smucker Houser at 271 S. Broadway Ave. Pre-sale tickets can be purchased from the Salem Computer Center, A Touch of Gracious Living, Ricky's English Pub, Nature and Nurture, Christmas Trim a Tree Wonderland, and Consign and Design in Poland. All proceeds from the event will directly benefit the Smucker House's maintenance and renovation projects. During the tour, coats will also be collected for the Blue Coats for distribution to veterans and unhoused individuals in need.
The release noted that this year's tour features sites built from 1863 to as recently as 2018, all of which will be decorated for the holiday season and feature unique architectural elements.
Chris and Eva Davis' home located at 1175 S. Lincoln Ave. was built in 1863 and was one of the first brownstones in the area providing an example of a Gothic Revival country house. Since its construction the historic residence has greeted visitors entering Salem's north side and is currently "wrapping up a total restoration and modernization."
William and Susan Barlow's home located at 914 Franklin Ave. was built in 1895 and has been featured on HGTV's "If These Walls Could Talk." A Dutch Colonial Revival, the nearly 5,000-square-foot home features 18 rooms and six fireplaces.
Bruce and Teresa Cooper's home at 28364 Winona Road is constructed in the Greek Revival style with southern architectural influences. The residence features crown molding in every room and millwork around the fireplace, doors and all 40 windows.
The First United Methodist Church at 244 S. Broadway Ave. was first built in 1910 in a Romanesque style, and prominently features "Akron Plan" architecture. Featuring wedge-shaped classrooms separated by doors which can be opened into one large common space for church-wide participation, the United Methodist Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. The church also features a rare Wirsching pipe organ installed in 1910 that has been recently restored.
Ted and Diane Hawk's home at 2654 Summers Drive in East Rochester was built in the Queen Anna Victorian Style in 1898 by L.H. Sinclair of Hanover, now Hanoverton, for John Aspey Summers and his wife Emma. Purchased by the Hawk family in 1951, the nearly 3,700-square-foot home has 10 rooms and the original woodwork can still be seen throughout the home.
The Salem Friends Meeting House, also known as the Sixth Street Meeting House, or the Wilbur Friends Meeting House located at 350 E. Sixth St., was built in 1872, constructed of brick as opposed to the typical wood construction for meeting houses. The broad outer porch still features its original pillars which show wear marks where horses were tied while their owners' attended services. Featuring high 18-foot ceilings and a large rectangular floor plan measuring approximately 45 feet by 68 feet, the entrance features two sets of double doors, one of which would have been used by men while the other was used by women and children. The building still features a movable dividing wall that would have separated the men's and women's services. The property also features a small white frame building called the Salem Meeting School House that was added in 1897 and remains in its original location to this day.
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior located at 870 E. State St. was dedicated and completed in 1889, and made possible through the support of parish member and iconic Salem industrialist William H. Mullins. Constructed of Pennsylvania brownstone, the church is noted for its Tiffany stained glass and rare Wirsching organ.
Participants may begin and end their tour at any location and visit the homes in any order.