Published: December 03, 2008 10:24 am         

Other historical sites to be open for tour visitors

On Saturday Cleburne residents and out-of-town visitors will once again tour historic local homes decorated in Christmas finery as the Save Old Cleburne Christmas Candlewalk Historic Home Tour celebrates its 32nd anniversary.

Candlewalk showcases several Cleburne homes each year, but the tour includes several other historic stops.

This year’s tour offers stops at a dentist’s office, two churches, an outdoor museum and an indoor museum and the Johnson County Courthouse.

zx Berry and Berry Dental Associates on 209 S. Buffalo Street join the tour for the first time. Drs. Jason and Elizabeth Berry own and operate the building, which dates from 1929. Candlewalk trekkers can sip cider and tour the office.

zx The Church of the Holy Comforter, at 209 E. Wardville, will again participate in Candlewalk. The nave and sanctuary of the church, which date from 1893, have been in constant use and have not been remodeled. The church will also hold St. Nicholasfest, a celebration of the 5th century Bishop Nicholas of Myra, the patron saint of children. St. Nicholasfest takes place from 5-8 p.m. Friday and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. Food and gifts will be offered for sale and “St. Nicholas” will be on hand 2-4 p.m. Saturday for pictures with children.

zx The First Baptist Church of Cleburne, at 105 E. Willingham St., dates its origins back to 1868. Christmas decorations will fill the church and tours are scheduled for 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., said Wilma Reed, longtime member and chairwoman of the church’s history committee. Of particular interest, Reed said, is a carving of the Last Supper, which Mr. and Mrs. J.T. Reed and Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Carter commissioned in about 1946 in memory of their parents.

zx The Chisholm Trail Outdoor Museum, located on U.S. 67 west of Lake Pat Cleburne, marks its third year of participation in Candlewalk. The outdoor museum, overseen by the Johnson County Heritage Foundation, houses the oldest log cabin courthouse in Texas, dating from 1854. New to the museum this year is a stagecoach station, the restored Wardville Cemetery and a barbecue smoker built to resemble a locomotive.

Scheduled attractions include Terry’s Texas Rangers, a Civil War re-enactment group. The group will fire a cannon and a Gatling gun several times throughout the day, said David Murdoch, JCHF president, Terry’s Texas Rangers are the only re-enactment group in the nation that has a working Gatling gun, he said. The Ghost of the Buzzard Flats will be on hand to stage old-west gunfights, and John and Casey Reynolds will showcase Native American dancing decked out in full, period regalia.

zx The Layland Museum, at 201 N. Caddo St., will be filled with holiday ornamentation, including a 1950s Christmas exhibit. Museum workers have planned an hour of children’s activities from 1-2 p.m. followed by a demonstration on how to make teddy bear bread.

The Greater Carnegie Players of Cleburne, located upstairs in the Layland Museum, will perform “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” Saturday night.

zx The Johnson County Courthouse, at 2 N. Main St., which re-opened last year after major renovations, will be open for touring from 2-6 p.m.

Tickets to the Candlewalk Tour of Homes cost $12 for adults and $5 for children under 12 and are available at the Layland Museum, the Cleburne Chamber of Commerce and the Anglin Rose Bed & Breakfast. For information, call 817-641-7433.

     

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