Holiday tour of Decatur’s historic homes ready to light up the town

DECATUR – The Albany and Old Decatur Historic Districts will present their annual Historic Decatur Christmas Tour this weekend, inviting the public to a unique opportunity to step back in time and experience the enchanting beauty of beautifully decorated historic homes, each adorned with festive lights, ornaments and seasonal decorations.

Saturday’s event includes homes, churches and historic places as part of the self-guided tour from 2-8 p.m. Along with seeing some of Decatur’s most historic and architecturally significant dwellings, the festive event offers a first look at the recently relocated Judge Horton House on the new Scottsboro Boys Civil Rights Museum complex.

The tour features three homes in the Old Decatur Historic District and three homes in the Albany Historic District, each beautifully decorated with luminaries, fruit, greenery and thousands of lights, four historic churches, two commercial firms, the Historic Decatur Union Train Depot and Decatur’s two newest attractions, the Decatur Scottsboro Boys Civil Rights Museum and the Judge James E. Horton Legal Learning Center.

Residences in the Albany and Old Decatur Historic Districts are not normally open for public viewing except when a select number of homes open their doors during the annual holiday tour.

Participating properties include:

• Albany District
  Gillespie-Hall House, 1006 Gordon Drive SE
  Carroll House, 636 Johnston St. SE
  Dupper House, 421 6th Ave. SE
• Old Decatur District
  Sword-Balbuena House, 904 Line St. NE
  Gibson-Henson House, 305 Lafayette St. NE
  SD Johnson-Reichmann House, 117 Walnut St. NE
• Other Sites
  Westminster Presbyterian Church, 801 Jackson St. SE (TOUR HEADQUARTERS)
  Vintage Faith Church, 411 Sherman St. SE
  Decatur Methodist Church, 701 Oak St. NE
  TM and JT Jones Building/Frameworks Architecture, 709 Bank St. NW
  Renaissance Millworks Reclaimed, 13 Walnut St. NE
  Historic Depot and Railroad Museum, 701 Railroad St. NW
  First Missionary Baptist Church, 233 Vine St. NW, Old Town
  Decatur Scottsboro Boys Civil Rights Museum, 818 Sycamore NW
  The Judge James E. Horton Legal Learning Center, corner of Grove and Church streets NW

Along with the self-guided tour, merchants and restaurants in Decatur’s two downtown shopping districts will be open for dining and holiday shopping before and during the tour.

Tickets for the Historic Decatur Christmas Tour are $35 each and can be purchased at https://decaturchristmastour.com/. Proceeds are used to preserve, protect and enhance the character and legacy of the historic neighborhoods.

For a schedule of events, to purchase tickets and for more information on each property, visit www.decaturchristmastour.com.