Crockett Holiday Tour of Homes Set for December
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
CROCKETT — Some of Crockett’s historic doors open to visitors only once a year. On Saturday, Dec. 5, the Downtown Crockett Association (DCA) will open them again, alongside private homes, restored buildings and other local landmarks, for its Holiday Tour of Homes.
“Some of them are never open except one time a year, when we beg and get them open for the Holiday Tour of Homes,” DCA President Susan Knox said.
The tour will run from noon to 4 p.m. A $15 ticket admits visitors to all 10 stops, which Knox said will offer a mix of familiar favorites and places new to this year’s tour.
The preparations begin well before December. Knox said installers will start putting up Christmas lights around the square and along its side streets in October. The tour, she said, is one way the nonprofit works to bring people downtown and support local businesses.
“Downtown Crockett Association is a nonprofit organization, and it exists to help downtown Crockett in any way — to bring people, to bring business, to help the business owners as best we can,” Knox said.
Last year showed Knox how many people were willing to make a day of it. More than 300 attended, including many who decided to buy tickets at the last minute.
“I was shocked, blown away, and we ran out of supplies,” she said. “We ran out of cookies. We ran out of coffee. We scraped together enough brochures and maps for these over 300 people who arrived.”
The Downes-Aldrich House and Monroe-Crook House will return to the tour. So will the Houston County Museum at the depot and the log cabin at Brewer Park, where Knox said hostesses will wear period costumes.
The Ritz Theater, added last year after its refurbishment, will also return. Visitors can hear historic organ music at First United Methodist Church.
Two buildings with new uses will offer another side of Crockett’s history. Bear Hall, once an auto garage, is now an entertainment venue. Its owners plan to decorate it for Christmas and display material about the building’s earlier life.
“It’s probably my favorite building in all of Crockett,” Knox said. “It just has soul. It truly does.”
The former First National Bank building at 505 E. Goliad Ave. is another addition. Knox said its owner has restored the small building and plans to display Christmas decorations and period pieces, possibly including items original to the bank.
Two private residences round out the tour: a Victorian home on 11th Street that some residents may remember as the Bill Ainsworth home, and a Craftsman home nearby at 11th Street and Goliad Avenue. Both families plan to decorate and welcome visitors inside, Knox said.
Tourgoers should begin at the welcome center in the fellowship hall of First Presbyterian Church. It will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. for ticket purchases, wristband pickup, refreshments and gift bags. A wristband is required to enter the tour locations. Visitors should enter the church parking area from Goliad Avenue.
Tickets can be purchased in advance at discovercrocketttx.com. They will also be available at the welcome center on tour day. Each ticket comes with a brochure and map for the self-guided tour and a snack pack. Knox said those who buy in advance are guaranteed a commemorative ornament.
Knox said the tour’s appeal extends beyond the buildings. Last year, visitors also spent time browsing downtown shops, and hosts at each location helped make the day welcoming.
“It’s like a slice out of Americana,” she said. “It’s just a little town that opens up and says, ‘This is Christmas.’”
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
